Testimony on Pesticide​ Bills needed TODAY – Tuesday,​ Feb. 4th

Posted on February 4, 2020 by garyhooser

URGENT call for testimonies! Three important bills are being heard at the State Capitol tomorrow Wednesday 2/5 in the House Agriculture Committee (9am Conference Room #312). SO TESTIMONY MUST BE SUBMITTED TODAY.

Click on links to read the bills, make up your own mind and submit testimony.

It’s best to submit testimony via this testimony link  – but if you have trouble logging in and navigating the system, you can use this email address: AGRtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov

Support HB2114 – increases fines for pesticide violators

Support HB1665 – bans glyphosate statewide

Oppose as written and suggest amendments HB2565 – proposes an amnesty program for Restricted Use Pesticides that is good for small residential users but could be a massive “give-a-way” and literally “get-out-of-jail-free” card for the large chemical companies who will transfer the cost of disposal to the public, and avoid fines and penalties.

Please submit testimony by the end of today, February 4th so your voice can be heard at tomorrow’s hearing! The HEARING NOTICE is HERE and is the best “one link” source of information to these Bill’s.

More info on the bills is below, but you are encouraged to read the bills via the links above.

SUPPORT: HB 2114 will require the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to issue a first warning whenever there is a pesticide violation. This is an important step in improving incident record documentation. DOA then must issue a fine for subsequent violations, such as improper or illegal pesticide uses. The bill also increases the fines associated with violations giving the department the ability to fine violators more appropriately for severe and repeated violations. If you submitted testimony last week for Friday’s hearing PLEASE RESUBMIT testimony for this new hearing date!

HB2114 is an important step towards protecting our people and environment from exposure to toxic pesticides. We need more transparency and higher penalties for pesticide use violations, so they are not simply a “cost of doing business” in Hawai`i. Please support raising the maximum fines for pesticide violations and better records and reporting. Despite the huge risks associated with exposure to improper pesticide use, pesticide misuse has, and continues to occur within the State and poses a threat to adjacent communities, our keiki, the environment, and farmworkers.

SUPPORT: HB 1665 is a statewide glyphosate ban. This bill would ban the use of all herbicides with glyphosate as an active ingredient. The science is clear on the dangers of glyphosate. Please support a ban on products containing glyphosate as an active ingredient.

OPPOSE – Offer Amendments: HB 2565 establishes an amnesty program for the disposal of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs). Although we absolutely support the safe disposal of RUP’s and the intention of the bill to provide easy and safe ways for small individual users to dispose of RUPs, this measure needs to ensure that this is used appropriately and that large agrichemical corporations operating in Hawai`i do not use this as a way to offload their responsibility of disposal onto state government and taxpayers.

Here’s how you can help:
Show up and provide oral testimony for these bills this Wednesday at the State Capitol in Honolulu, House Conference Room # 312 at 9AM

Thank you!

3 testimony pesticides

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Legislative Primer #101 – the basics

Posted on February 2, 2020 by garyhooser
A testifier stated at a recent legislative hearing, “I’m very happy to participate in this process because I was born in a country where this is not possible.”
 
With this very sobering thought in mind, I encourage all to take ownership of our government, learn about the issues and participate in the process.
The Hawaii 2020 legislative session is off and running.  The official “60-day” session will actually last until May 7, where it will be “sine die” unless formally extended.
Thousands of bills have been introduced, hundreds of public hearings will be held over the coming months, and at the end of the day upon approval by the governor 200 to 300 of these bills will pass into law.  Most of the measures debated and passed will be “tweaks and adjustments” to existing law.  Some will be consequential but many perhaps most will be not.
Although some bills may appear at first glance to be insignificant to the majority of us, they very well may be critically important to specific individuals, groups or a particular class of individuals (various professions, etc).  It’s also safe to say, that whenever a bill is passed into law, someone’s ox is gored.  There is a price to pay for every piece of legislation, and there are two or more sides to every argument for and against.
Living on a neighbor-island, our participation as citizens is limited to emailing testimony, and or meeting with our own District State Representative and Senator.  During the legislative session, our Senator and Representative will spend the majority of their time at the State Capitol on Oahu which means our direct communication is often limited to telephone and email.
But make no mistake about it – your voice matters.  It especially matters to your District’s Representative or Senator who depends on your vote to be reelected.  And it matters to the Chair of the Committee hearing the bill, who will at the end of the day “tally up the testimony” into neat piles labeled “support and oppose” – numbers matter.
An essential tool for anyone who desires to embrace their civic responsibility fully is the Capitol website, https//www.capitol.hawaii.gov (editor note…please spell out).  This website provides access to all legislation and can be searched by “keyword” (agriculture, tax, education, drugs, etc) and by “bill number” (HB19XX or SB19BB, etc).  HB stands for House Bill and SB for Senate Bill.  Bills are proposed laws.  Once a bill is passed by both “bodies” (House and Senate) and signed by the Governor, it becomes law and is considered an “Act”, and given yet another number.
Once a bill number is identified, the bill can be read in its entirety on the Capitol website.  In addition, automatic hearing notices can be requested and testimony provided – from this same website.  In addition, a complete record of the bills “progress” through the system is also easily accessible, including copies of all testimony and a complete record of all votes cast by legislators.
First, determine your priority issues, then do a “word search” and locate the bills that might interest you (hint choose those with a 2020 date. Next, request hearing notification of those bills, and when hearings are scheduled – submit your testimony!  
Another option – you can request to be notified of all hearings being held by a specific “subject matter committee”, say agriculture if that is where your interest is.  Then, every time the agriculture committee schedules a hearing (on any and all bills) you will be automatically notified and provided an agenda (where you can review/read all bills).  If the committee agenda contains items of interest, then once again the option to present testimony is available and easy to implement.
To further sharpen your ability to target issues especially important to you, consider joining an organization that shares your “subject matter focus”.  For example, the Sierra Club is the main organization for general issues pertaining to the environment.  There are many different organizations covering a wide range of subject matter and most of them have “legislative committees” who track and monitor legislation that impacts their particular focus.  These committees will do much of the homework for you and send you “action alerts” when issues come up that need attention such as testimony etc.
I encourage all to take ownership of your government, visit the Capitol website, join an organization that you can support and begin engaging in the civic process.  It’s much easier than you might think, it can be fun and entertaining, and your testimony and your involvement can truly make a difference.
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Essential info for all advocates – Know who your district legislator is.

Posted on February 2, 2020 by garyhooser

Please put this information on your refrigerator so it is never lost or forgotten.

A universal truth in politics – people (voters and constituents) who live in the district are more important to elected legislators than anyone else. When people in the district call or email or visit in person, legislators pay attention. Read: The Legislature: Hierarchy of access and influence –

How to find out who your district State Senator and district Representative is:

Go here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov
Look in top right-hand corner and see “Find your legislator”
Enter street name
Click “go”
Note this system is “fickle” and it is important that the information is entered exactly as the government records have it. Sometimes it is “Road” or it could be “Rd” or “RD” or “Street” etc

Plan B: If the above search function is not working for you, then click on the below links and scan the list searching for the Senator or Representative who represents your general geographic area.

State Senator https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=S
State Representative https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=H

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Testimony needed now to protect brand integrity for all Hawaii grown coffee

Posted on January 25, 2020 by garyhooser

Aloha Friends, Family, and Supporters of Hawaii Grown Coffee – on all islands,

Urgent Action Alert – Your testimony is needed now to protect brand integrity for coffee grown on all islands.  Read background on the issue HERE The battle to preserve brand integrity and another excellent article printed in Civil Beat HERE Hawaii’s coffee blend law deceives consumers (Civil Beat)

Please help today (and no later than Tuesday at 4pm, January 28th) and submit testimony in support of HB1886 Relating to Coffee Labeling. This bill states that coffee cannot be labeled and sold in Hawai’i as a Hawaii Coffee Blend (or identified as any regional coffee – Kona or otherwise – grown in Hawai’i) – unless at least 51% of the coffee in the package is actually grown in the region specified on the label.

Further, HB1886 requires that the “non-Hawai’i grown” coffee also
be identified on the label so consumers are fully informed as to the product they are purchasing.

The hearing agenda and testimony instructions (scroll down) are contained within Hearing Notice that is linked HERE.  You may also read the bills etc on this link.

Please sign-in to submit testimony via the capitol testimony portal accessed via the hearing notice (best option), or email your testimony direct to AGRtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov

*There are 4 bills relating to coffee that are on the agenda.  While HB1886 is the top priority, all are important.  If you are familiar with the issues, please also submit separate testimony in support of these other items.  All can be reviewed in detail on the Hearing Notice.

The hearing for HB1886 is scheduled for 8:30am Wednesday, January 29th, and testimony is due no later than 4pm Tuesday, January 28th.

It is okay to keep it very short; submitting any amount of testimony is better than nothing.  See sample testimony below.

Thank you for your time and willingness to help create positive change for our Hawai’i Farmers.

Note: It is important to put: “Testimony in strong support of HB1886” in the subject line.
*************************************************************

Sample Testimony 

Please use your own words and tell your own story if possible, and paraphrase at the minimum.  Do not simply cut and paste.

Dear Committee Chair Creagan and Members,

I am a (farmer, consumer, resident) and reside in (list your district – Kona, Kapaa, etc) testifying in strong support of HB1886 – Relating to Coffee Labeling. The current law says that blended coffee can be labeled “Kona Blend, Ka’u Blend, Maui Blend, Kauai Blend, Hilo Blend, etc” even if it has as little as 10% of the actual coffee grown in that region in it. The rest can be no-name coffee from anywhere around the world. The new law would require at least 51% of the coffee used be from the named region and the remainder of the coffee origin/origins be identified.

The reasons this is important are:

1. Misleading labeling is fraudulent – consumers should be able to trust the labeling.

2. Use of the name without requiring the content exploits the region and deprives farmers of income.

3. Low quality coffee is being sold under a prestigious name and results in lowering standards and damaging the brand.

The blenders, many owned by large mainland companies, strongly oppose this change because they are making a fortune selling cheap low-quality coffee as “Kona” or Ka’u” to unsuspecting customers. This would never be allowed for California Wine, Kentucky Bourbon, Idaho potatoes, Georgia peaches, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, or any number of products worldwide.

Hawai’i needs to step up and protect the brand integrity of its premier coffee brands that are grown throughout the islands. Thank you for your positive consideration and passage of HB1886.

Mahalo,

Name,
“who you are – farmer, coffee lover, business owner etc),
Town/District
**********************************************************************
Remember – All Hawaii Coffee Farmers Benfit From Passing a 51% Minimum Requirement for Blends!

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$13 in 2024 is not a “good first step”. It’s actually a step backward.

Posted on January 24, 2020 by garyhooser

Anyone working 40 hours a week, deserves to earn a wage sufficient to provide a dry and safe place to sleep, 3 meals a day and basic health care.

Readers who do not agree with the above statement might as well stop right here. I acknowledge there are those who agree but differ on “the way to get there”. For you folks, I welcome the discussion and even more so welcome your tangible, specific suggestions on how in fact we “get there”.

The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DEBDT) has determined that for a single person without children the hourly wage needed to simply “subsist” is approximately $17.50 per hour (plus or minus depending on the island, etc). Note this is the State of Hawaii’s official “subsistence wage” and includes no-frills whatsoever…just the basics of staying alive.

Hawaii has the second-highest homeless rate per capita in the entire United States.

Our current minimum wage sits at $10.10 per hour and nearly 50% of our residents live on the very edge of poverty.

Almost everyone is working two jobs or more, simply etching out a life devoid of the “extras” so many of us take for granted. Thank god we have our warm weather and beautiful natural environment to help get us through the days.

Recently, Hawaii House and Senate leaders, with the support of Gov. David Ige, announced a list of proposals intended to support Hawaii’s low income working families and those at the bottom end of the economic ladder.

With much fanfare, they announced as a “good first step” their plan to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage to $13 per hour by 2024.

Let’s do the math. In their own press release, the Legislature and the Governor talk of studies that show how single individuals and families are struggling to make $28,296/77,052 a year.

Unfortunately, the $13 an hour they propose by 2024 doesn’t actually add up to helping anyone get even to that lowest threshold. $13 an hour, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year add up to only $27,040. The inadequacy of the $13 per hour offer is even more apparent when you calculate the inflation which will accrue between now and 2024.

Remember, a subsistence wage NOW is $17.50 per hour and nearly half of our population lives on the edge of poverty.

And here we are listening to the magnanimous offer of $13 – in 2024.

A little historical context is also in order:

  • 90% of the legislators attending the press conference and the governor himself has in the past said publicly they supported at least $15 an hour.
  • The official position of the Democratic Party of Hawaii is in support of a $15 per hour minimum wage (and yes virtually 100% of the political leadership in Hawaii is a Democrat).
  • And the most recent “position” of the Hawaii Senate (via HB1191 SD2) was $15 per hour by 2023.

So no, $13 per hour in 2024 is not a “good first step”, unless of course, the intent is to step backward. And no, the “other elements of the package” (tax credits and housing initiatives) do not replace the basic need to pay people fair wages for a fair day’s work.

“A good first step” is allowing legislators to publicly vote on what a clear and strong majority have said they publicly support, which is at least $15 per hour.

An even better first step would be passing a measure that reaches the $17 target and includes annual cost of living increases. That is the step Hawaii’s working families need and the only step that will ensure they eventually achieve a true living wage.

My thought (and a perverse hope I suppose), is that the governor and the legislative leadership in the House and Senate, perhaps viewed their announcement as the start of a conversation only, and starting at $13 per hour is simply a negotiating position.

Small businesses that fear negative impacts from having to increase their workers’ wages need only look at the recent history in Hawaii for reassurance.

When Hawaii’s minimum wage was increased from $7.25 to $10.10, there were no increases in bankruptcy, no increases in unemployment and no increases in inflation (outside the normal trend).

It is well past the time that everyone in Hawaii who works 40 hours a week can afford a dry safe place to live, eat 3 meals a day, and go to the doctor when they are sick. Anything less is immoral and unacceptable.

HB2541 has now been passed by the House Labor/Finance committee’s at the unacceptable level of $13 per hour in 2024.

Even if you have already sent other emails in the past to your legislator and others, please join me in contacting your Hawaii Representative TODAY and share with him/her in a courteous and professional manner your thoughts on why $13 is not enough and encourage him them instead to put all Hawai’i on a solid path to a true living wage.

First published in The Garden Island Newspaper on January 22, 2020.

 

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Hawaii County Herbicide Ban – Update

Posted on January 10, 2020 by garyhooser

Unfortunately, Councilmember Ashley Kierkiewicz one of the key votes needed and who was previously in support of Bill 101, “flipped” and voted against over-riding Mayor Kim’s veto – thus the attempt failed. Mayor Kim’s veto was not over-ridden and Monsanto and the Chemical industry won this round.

It seems beyond comprehension that when the American Academy of Pediatrics testifies in support of the veto override and Monsanto testifies in opposition – that Monsanto wins.

Please note they won this round only and there will be many, many more rounds.

For those who may feel dispirited by the outcome I offer this quote:

“Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’” Source Unknown.

I also encourage folks to commend and thank Bill 101’s primary introducer Councilmember Rebecca Villegas and those other 4 Councilmember’s who supported the override attempt.

The entire list and contact info is HERE and Below:

Those who support Bill 101 and the banning herbicides on Hawaii County parks, roads, facilities:

rebecca.villegas@hawaiicounty.gov (Bill 101 introducer and yes to override the veto)

maile.david@hawaiicounty.gov (Bill 101 supporter and yes to override the veto)

valerie.poindexter@hawaiicounty.gov (Bill 101 supporter and yes to override the veto)

karen.eoff@hawaiicounty.gov (Bill 101 supporter and yes to override the veto)

matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov (Bill 101 supporter and yes to override the veto)

Those who ultimately opposed Bill 101 and supported Mayor Kim’s veto:

aaron.chung@hawaiicounty.gov

sue.leeloy@hawaiicounty.gov

tim.richards@hawaiicounty.gov

ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov (Councilmember Kierkiewicz was an initial yes vote and then “flipped” her vote and supported Mayor Kim’s veto)

I encourage all to email the Councilmembers your thoughts on this important issue.

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The top 5 reasons not to vote (sarcasm intended)​

Posted on January 10, 2020 by garyhooser

1) My vote will not matter as my demographic represent the “fringe” and make up less than 20% of all voters. Most elections are won or lost by less than 10% so why should I get involved? #getrealthengetalife

2) Exercising the right and the opportunity to help select those who control natural resource protection, social justice protections and taxing authority would be irresponsible and only further empower the bad guys. #yathink? #doyouthink? #Idonothinkyoubethinking

3) There is no-one to vote for so why should I bother to get involved and either run for office myself or find someone else to run? It sounds like a lot of work. It’s much easier to stay home, complain about the system and brag about how I don’t vote and thus not part of the system. #winner #notwinner #loserbydefinition

4) The system in place is corrupt and by not participating I will help defeat it and replace it with something that does not require voting but which I cannot quite define or articulate at the moment. #what?

5) It’s easier to simply rage against the machine and not vote. Participating in government takes work and requires a long term commitment to take responsibility for the outcome. #nottrueyestrue

You can probably tell by now that it pains me to hear the “I don’t vote and I’m proud of it” crowd struggle to justify their position. Actually, it makes me angry, and sad – both.

Many from across all Hawai’i are increasingly involved in making positive change happen at the grassroots level. I sincerely thank all for making the personal sacrifices of time, energy and money to make their voices heard, loud and clear – from Hilo to Hanalei.

Please now take that next step. Register to vote, find a candidate to support and then throw your energy into making systemic change – from the inside.

We need both inside and outside strategies, and there is no reason that one should preclude the other.

Our government, whether we like it or not, controls via law, rule and regulation – the protection of our natural resources, the amount of personal freedom we enjoy and the amount of money we have in our pockets.

At the end of the day, the government decides who are the haves, who are the have nots and who if anyone is in between. The people we elect have the power to decide which of our mountain streams should live or die, to accept or not accept the chemical contamination of our drinking water and to allocate our public resources to foreign corporations or not.

A single legislator can make a difference, certainly at the state and county level.

I have seen up close and personal the power of a single vote.  I have witnessed a single strong voice willing to speak truth to power sway the entire vote on critical legislative issues – resulting in the protection of our fragile natural resources.

Those individuals who do put people and the planet first and who are willing to serve in public office need and deserve to have our support and our vote.

Please if you are not registered, I implore upon you to do so today. It’s easy, just visit https://olvr.hawaii.gov/

If you are already registered, please spread the message to family and friends, then find a candidate to help or run for office yourself.

We must engage the system, push-back against the bad and help lead and create a better government and a better planet, for all.

girl crossed fingers
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The death of democracy – and 3 action steps to take NOW at the local level

Posted on January 7, 2020 by garyhooser

No time for chit chat – For those interested in personal stuff such as pictures of my family or my dog Maximus Aurelius “Max”, please scroll down to the bottom.  If you want to know about me, you can visit http://www.garyhooser.com

Frankly, there are too many bad things happening and too many things each of us need to do NOW to make meaningful change happen. The planet is burning and people are dying.

Please take the time to “click-through” the below links, read and take action. The change we need will happen only when we collectively take ownership and responsibility for our government.

“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.” Plato

International – Waiting for the other shoe to drop: This past Friday President Trump ordered the assassination of a high ranking representative of an independent sovereign nation (Iran). I get it that General Qassem Soleimani was a very bad actor, but assassination is a war crime as defined by many international agreements. A U.S. executive order has also been in place since 1976 forbidding the U.S. from carrying out political assassinations. READ Was the drone attack on Iranian general an assassination?  President Trump needs to be removed from office by whatever legal means possible, as soon as is possible.

National – A deep dive into the death of western democracies  Read: This is how a society dies by Umair Haque The reading is a bit dense but is thought-provoking and worth the time.

“People who are made to live right at the edge must battle each other for self-preservation…Such a society has to eat through whatever public goods and social systems it has, just to survive…Society melts down…, as ever-increasing poverty brings hate, violence, fear, and rage with it. Trust erodes, democracy corrodes, social bonds are torn apart, and the only norms left are Darwinian-fascist ones: the strong survive, and the weak must perish…”

Think global and act local – This is the only real way to maintain sanity and hope.  We must fight back and WIN.  The reason I write and send out these emails is that I believe we here in Hawaii can win and set an example for the rest of the world – no hyperbole – no exaggeration.  But it takes work and it takes all of us chipping in. Here are three things I need to ask your help with today – PLEASE

  1. Oahu friends – Join FACE, RaiseUP, PHI, Living Wage Hawaii and many others at 4:30pm this Wednesday, January 8th at the State Capitol Rotunda in support of increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage to $17 per hour.  PLEASE TAKE THE TIME – YOUR PHYSICAL PRESENCE IS IMPORTANT Read more at Raise Up Hawaii
  2. Big Island Ohana – Ditto in support of over-riding Mayor Kim’s veto of Bill 101 banning herbicides on County property!  Please take the time to physically be there @ 9am on Wednesday, January 8th, in the Hilo Chambers. More info on Bill 101 and the current status is HERE at Greener Hawaii
  3. Kauai friends and family – Please comment on the application for a long-term lease (65 years) of the waters from Wai`ale`ale and Waikoko Streams, all comments must be filed by midnight Tuesday, January 7, 2020.  Submit comments to DLNR’s Ian Hirokawa Ian.c.hirokawa@hawaii.gov and copies to SSFM International, Inc. (Consultant), jschefel@ssfm.com; and Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative (Applicant), dhuff@joulegroup.com  There has never been an EIS for the Wai`ale`ale and Waikoko (Blue hole) diversions. When water is diverted for commercial use from streams, HRS 171-58 requires and EIS and DLNR should accept nothing less from Kauai Island Utility Coop.  READ Draft EA HERE Bottom line for me: The water taken must be limited to the minimum needed by KIUC, the lease period should not exceed 10-year increments AND sufficient water must always remain in the stream to maintain the ecological health of the stream. Main point – Please demand a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be completed!

FINALLY – After you have done your reading and taken the action steps listed above – Please think about the upcoming 2020 elections from a local state and county perspective.  We need qualified candidates who support a living wage, who know the importance of protecting our streams, and who will put people and the planet first. Interested candidates should Contact the HAPA Kuleana Academy (2020 dates are forthcoming) and consider applying for the next session.  Candidates are also welcome to contact me directly if they have questions or need more information.

We also need to register our friends and family to vote which you can easily do HERE https://olvr.hawaii.gov

Read from my blog – “Turning Marchers Into Voters” https://garyhooser.blog/2019/11/06/turning-marchers-into-voters-learning-from-the-revolution-of-54/

Please know that I get that the above is a lot to digest in a single email and that 24 hours or even 48 hours is a short fuse and more notice would be much better.  I get it…and am doing the best I can.  So please, just do the same if you can – hang in there with me and let’s do this.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Hooser
http://www.garyhooser.com

NOTE: If you receive this email from a friend and are not on my regular email list – Please consider subscribing HERE.

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My public policy wish for the holidays – bring a little more joy and tangible purchasing power to low income working people

Posted on December 17, 2019 by garyhooser

My wish for the holidays is that public policy advocates, individuals and organizations from across the state join together in requesting that the Hawaii state legislature, upon the opening of the 2020 legislative session – reconvene the conference committee for HB1191 SD2, and promptly pass a strong minimum wage bill.

There has been plenty of time during the past 6 months for the House/Senate Conferees to come to an agreement.

The community should not be forced to go through the entire dog and pony show again, only to wind up at the same place.

The steps needed are simple and straightforward:

1. Legislative leadership must convene the existing House/Senate conference committee for HB1191 SD2 – increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage to $15 by 2023
2. The committee should then remove the “business/health/tax credit” component and delink this aspect of the legislation from the minimum wage increase component. This “benefit to business” component is a separate issue and should be treated separately, and not used as an albatross around the necks of low income workers to further delay increasing the minimum wage
3. The Committee should then amend HB1191 SD2 to include an annual cost of living adjustment plus (COLA+), modest additional annual increases to keep up with inflation “plus”, until eventually over time the minimum wage will equal a living wage.
4. The Committee should then pass such a bill forward for a full vote on the floor of the House and Senate – prior to January 31, 2020.

Anyone who works 40 hours per week, deserves to earn a wage sufficient to provide a dry safe place to live, 3 meals a day, and basic health care.

Hawaii has the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the nation. Nearly 50% of our residents live in or near poverty.

The Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), says a single individual without children needs to earn at least $17.50 per hour just to subsist. Hawaii’s minimum wage sits now at only $10.10.

While minimum wage workers get nothing, legislators will get their raises as will the governor, the lieutenant governor and many other high-ranking government officials.

Business is booming also for just about everyone else. Tourism is at an all time high with visitor-counts at historic levels.

The economic forecast for the future is more of the same. According to the 4th Quarter 2019 QSER released by DBEDT on November 19, 2019, “Hawaii’s economy is expected to continue positive growth in 2019 and 2020. This outlook is based on the most recent developments in the national and global economies, the performance of Hawaii’s tourism industry, labor market conditions, and the growth of personal income and tax revenues.”

It seems everyone is doing better and making more money except for low income workers, whose wages are at best, flat.

Small businesses that fear negative impacts from having to increase their workers wages need only look at the recent history in Hawaii for reassurance.

When Hawaii’s minimum wage was increased from $7.25 to $10.10, nothing bad happened. There were no increases in bankruptcy, no increases in unemployment and no increases in inflation (outside the normal trend).

It is well past the time that minimum wage workers also share in the economic growth, the rest of Hawaii is benefiting from.

A strong majority of legislators including their leadership have in the past stated publicly and in writing their support for increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage to at least a $15 per hour.

These legislators should be given the opportunity to vote publicly for something they all profess to support.

Please join me in calling upon the legislature to do the right thing, and do it in January.

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What does the President of the United States have in common with a Kaua’i Councilmember? Choices and accountability -national/local commonalities

Posted on December 16, 2019 by garyhooser

The top of mind issue for those who follow policy and politics nationally is the pending impeachment of the President of the United States.

Locally, the issue most are talking about is the indictment and forthcoming trial of Councilmember Arthur Brun.

While the impeachment of the “leader of the free world” could literally rock the planet both domestically and internationally, a potential felony conviction for a Kaua’i councilmember impacts only the affairs of tiny Kaua’i County.

Depending on what action or inaction is taken or not taken by the Kaua’i County Council, a local impeachment action could also develop here.

On one hand there is no comparison, on the other and in a very sad way there are many similarities.

Neither individual has been convicted of any crime but both clearly have conducted themselves in a manner that is at the minimum unseemly and in clear violation of the public trust.

Neither has publicly denied the actions they have been accused of.

Trump has admitted to withholding funding from the Ukraine government while at the same time pressing them to investigate his political rival. His “defense” seems to boil down to “attacking the process” – accusing the majority in Congress of picking on him unfairly (a witch-hunt).

While Brun has not publicly admitted fleeing from law enforcement and striking a police officer with his car, he also has not denied the crimes for which he has been accused. It appears his “defense” at least accordingly to newspaper reports, will also be based on “attacking the process” – technicalities surrounding alleged conflicts with the prosecutors office.

Attack the accuser and ignore their own misdeeds, seems to be a popular strategy among politicians who run afoul of the law.

Neither Trump nor Brun appear willing to resign from their seats. Neither has made a public apology or expressed any regrets or remorse for their actions.

Both deserve their day in court but neither deserve the public’s sympathy.

Trump has admitted his actions and believes they were “perfect” and that he has done nothing wrong.

Kaua’i residents deserve to hear from Brun. If he is innocent of the charges and did not flee from the police, striking an officer in the process – then he should state this publicly. If he intends to plead not guilty and claim he didn’t do it, then he should say so.

However if Councilmember Brun is unable to deny the fundamental accusations and his intent is to “beat the charges on a technicality”, (which he is perfectly entitled to do) then he should resign his seat on the Kaua’i Council.

While some may claim differently, Bruns colleagues on the Council have a responsibility to take action. As Vice-Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Brun holds a position of legislative and budgetary authority over the Kaua’i Police Department and the Prosecutors Office. At the minimum he should not be serving on this committee.

The political awkwardness of taking action to acknowledge and deal with this situation is not sufficient reason for the Council to ignore it.

A majority of Councilmembers led by the Council Chair need to confront this issue and have a public discussion that includes Councilmember Brun.

It is in the public’s interest that they do so.

If he states publicly that he is not guilty of the actions for which he is being charged, then perhaps simply stepping off the Public Safety Committee is sufficient action at the present to preserve the public trust.

However if the Councilmember is unable to state that he did not flee from the Kaua’i police striking one officer in the process, his resignation from the Council is necessary and appropriate.

As to Trump. Unfortunately, he also will not resign. Everyone knows that he was literally attempting to bribe a foreign country to get them to interfere in our election for his own personal benefit- yet far too many make excuses to look the other way.

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