Senate Floor

Will the Senate please come to order? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Thank you. The Chair has read the journal of the preceding day and approves the same. Are there any introductions this morning? Senator DeCorte.

Mr. President. Oh, Mr. President, may I please introduce my guests in the gallery? Today we have with us Ms. Laura Reinbold, who is a retired Legislator from Alaska. She served six years in the House Representatives and four years as a Senator. During her term, her primary focus was public safety and tourism. She is married to Eric Reinbold.

They have two sons and two grandsons. She was excited to move to Hawaii and to live in the most beautiful community, which is Makaha. So, Laura, if you could stand. And we welcome you to the Hawaii State Senate.

Thank you. Further introduction. Senator Keohokalole.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today we are delighted to welcome approximately 70 students and 25 parents from the Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii. Established in 1988, the Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii is a statewide organization born out of efforts by parents who collaborated with the Board of Education to shape Hawaii's homeschool law.

They are here visiting from across the island and meeting with their elected officials to visit the Legislature and explore everyone's offices. I'd like to specifically recognize the coordinator of today's visit and also a Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Member, Laura Burbidge. And if everyone else who is joining today can please stand up and be recognized by the Senate. Aloha.

Further introductions, Senator DeCorte.

Okay, I have one more. I am very excited to welcome in the Senate here today Ms. Patty Kahanamoku Teruya. She is a lifelong Nanakuli homesteader. She was a former DHHL Commissioner and she has been a strong advocate for Native Hawaiians. She's a proud mother and grandmother. If you can please rise.

And we welcome you to the Hawaii State center.

And active in the non profit world in her community as well. Further introductions? If not. Madam Clerk, I'm going to go off script and this would be more of personal privilege, but I'm assuming the Homeschoolers will be going over to the house gallery fairly soon to be introduced there.

I had a chance walking into my office to meet Jenna and her four children. She is the wife of a naval officer and lives on the base at Pearl Harbor.

And she was sharing with me that her oldest son with her today, although she has two in college, so not her oldest child, but oldest of the four present, is taking AP math classes and was trying to find out how to sit to take the AP math test to get the credits.

And as she started on the journey of finding out where her son could do this, her home school is Radford, and they were very polite, but unable to help.

And as she continued on her journey to find out how her son could do this, everyone was polite, everyone treated her respectfully, but no one had the right answer at the end of the day until Senator from Wahiawa, she came across Leilehua High School, who then said they would happy to have her son go to Leilehua High School, of course, pay the fee like everyone else.

And Leilehua High School is making this opportunity happen. I had hoped to talk to Senator Kidani, but she is under the weather and absent today. But I think that we need to find out, you know, what that policy is so that any of our students, no matter how they're being educated, have the opportunity to get these tests.

Getting these credits, if they're successful, helps in keeping the cost of going to college down for our families here in Hawaii, and in particular with her husband, serving our country, ensuring our freedoms, and we're not able to help the families who are sacrificing their loved ones on our behalf is really not how we want to do our business.

And so, you know, I will work with Senator Kidani and try to find a path forward that hopefully will be clearer and a better way to ensure opportunities for our students here in Hawaii. And I might add, there were several private schools called that also, you know, were unable to assist.

So with that, Madam Clerk.

Referrals and re-referrals.

Referrals and re-referrals are made in accordance with the order of the day and the supplemental orders of the day that may be filed later today.

No further business. Mr. President.

Are there any announcements today, if not the. Oh, of course. We have a birthday today. Senator Gabbard.

Mr. President, I rise on a point of personal privilege.

Please proceed.

Mr. President, colleagues, staff, and guests, today we have the honor of recognizing the 44th birthday of our colleague representing District 25 on my right, who is currently serving as the chair of the Transportation and the Culture and Arts Committee. As we say in the old country, Manuia lou aso fanau and Aloha. Congrats.

Please give him a big hand. Aloha.

Thank you. Any further announcements? If not, the Chair has one. There will be a leadership meeting in room 409 immediately after session. Senator Wakai.

Mr. President, I move that the Senate. Stand adjourned until 11:30am tomorrow.

Senator DeCorte.

Mr. President, I second the motion.

It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Any objections? If not, the motion is carried.