House Floor

Will the House come to order? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

[roll call]. Madam Speaker, 46 members are present. Five are excused.

Thank you. Let's go on to item number two. Reading of the Journal. Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, may this matter be deferred.

So ordered.

Item number three. Messages from the Governor. Mr. Clerk, are there any messages from the Governor? Madam Speaker, there are none. Item number four. Senate Communications. Mr. Clerk, are there any Senate communications?

Yes, Madam Speaker, we're in Receipt of communication. Returning the noted House Bill, having passed third reading in the Senate.

Representative Todd.

Madam Speaker, I move to disagree to the amendments made by the Senate to the noted House Bill.

Representative Morikawa.

Speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion? Members, we will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried. Introductions. Are there any introductions? Representative Tam.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of myself and the representative from ili' ili, I would like to welcome the third grade students from Alawai Elementary School, known as the Gardeners of Earth, with their teacher, Ms. Lori Cui. Please stand and say hi to everyone. We. We had lunch upstairs, they visited the Senate, the public access room.

And now they're here to join us. And welcome to your House of Representatives. And permission to add their names into the Journal.

So ordered. Representative Kong.

Yes. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to welcome and introduce my interns for this session. We have from Punahou, Timothy Kim. Could you please stand? We have from Iolani, which Brandon Ku and Mingon Shin. Welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Belatti.

Thank you. Madam Speaker. If I could introduce my Committee Clerk, Whitney Blandford. If she can stand and be recognized and welcomed by the House of Representatives.

Representative Shimizu.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, I'd like to introduce my trusted office manager, Carol Kaapu. Would you please stand and be recognized? Welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Garcia.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to introduce in the gallery my office staff. I have Maisona Aldeger from the Waianae, Hunter Harris Kapole, and Danielle De Lima Calpeo, Homesteader. Thank you for being here. And also Pua Freitas, who is accompanying our floor honorees today. A waitlister. Thank you for being here. God bless.

Representative Holt.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In the gallery today, I'd like to introduce my staff who's here to join us. We have Kaika Sims, Kelly Dinwiddie Kala, and Madison Cahill. It's her birthday today. Madison joined me as an 18 year old freshman at HPU and this is her fourth year joining us and she'll be graduating in the summer.

So thank you all and happy birthday, Maddie.

Let's move on to order of the day. Item number five, floor presentations. Mr. Clerk, are there any floor presentations?

Yes, Madam Speaker. We have one floor presentation today. House Resolution number 212 Commending and honoring the leaders of the Kapolei Neighborhood Security Watch groups for their dedication to community engagement, commitment to public safety and leadership in expanding Neighborhood Security Watch programs across Oahu. This resolution is offered by Representative Garcia.

Representative Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I move to adopt the resolution.

Representative Alcos. Representative Matsumoto.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. Any discussion? Representative Garcia?

In support.

Please proceed.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, today I have the honor of recognizing and celebrating leaders of the Kapolei Neighborhood Security Watch groups whose dedication and leadership have made a positive impact on our communities in West Oahu. These individuals are the backbone of the Kapolei Neighborhood Security Watch groups.

And today we are proud to honor Jody Akal, Ivalani McBrayer, Raylene Leake, Loke Nitro and Pastor Alan Cardenas Jr. Yes. Please stand and let's give them a round of applause. Thank you. Please be seated. For their tireless work and commitment to keeping our neighborhood safe.

Let me begin by acknowledging the invaluable work of these Neighborhood Security Watch leaders. Most of them are often affectionately referred to by some as gangster grandmas. And the name says it all. These women and their team Members, except for you, Pastor Allen, you're not a woman.

And their team Members have shown that when it comes to protecting our community, they are fierce, determined and steadfast in their commitment. Whether it's a late night stakeout, or standing guard during challenging times. They've proven that age and gender are no obstacles to leading and defending our families.

When the game rooms began to pop up in our homesteads, threatening the safety and peace of our neighborhoods, these leaders did not wait for law enforcement to act. They took matters into their own hands, working together with prayer, teamwork and courage to protect their communities.

When the authorities couldn't respond quickly enough, these teams were out on the streets, on the curb, wearing their blue lights, making their presence known. You know what happened? These criminals saw these determined antis standing strong and realized they weren't welcome.

Their actions led to the closure of these illegal game rooms, proving that when the community unites and stands firm, change is not only possible, but inevitable. But the work of the Kapolei neighborhood security watch groups doesn't stop there.

These leaders have also taken it upon themselves to mentor and guide other communities across Oahu and even on neighbor islands. They've gone beyond just protecting their own neighborhoods. They've expanded their vision to help others set up and train their own neighborhood security watch teams.

They've shared their knowledge, wisdom and experiences, empowering communities across the islands to take charge of their safety and to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to crime prevention. Their work has also extended to educational outreach.

Through events like Taking Back Our Community, they've empowered residents with the knowledge they need to protect themselves. In a time when violent crime is on the rise, these leaders understood the need to equip residents with self defense skills and knowledge of non lethal weapons that can help protect our families without causing deadly harm.

By hosting these events, they've given people the tools to stand up for themselves and their communities, fostering a sense of security and self reliance that we all need in today's world. Each one of these honorees has displayed incredible leadership and it's important that we take the time to thank them individually for their contributions.

Jody, Ivalani, Raylene, Loke and Pastor Allen. Your dedication, your time and your commitment to our community have made a lasting difference. You have not only protected our homes, but also built a network of support, safety and empowerment that will have an impact for years to come.

Pastor Allen, in addition to the important work you've done with the security watch groups, your spiritual leadership has been the guiding light for so many in our community. As the Bible tells us, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Your leadership reminds us that the battles we face aren't just physical battles. They're spiritual and moral. You have led with faith, showing us that the strength of a community lies not only in its physical presence, but in its spiritual foundation.

Today, we honor these leaders, but we must also take a moment to reflect on the deeper message that their work represents. Government, as important as it is, is not always the solution. The power to create real, lasting change doesn't solely lie within the walls of a Legislature or the hands of officials.

The true power rests with, we the people. It is when communities come together, when ordinary people step up, that real change happens. When the people move, when we take action, that is when the shift begins. When the power of the community leads, change is inevitable.

So as we honor these leaders today, let's also remind ourselves that the strength of a community lies in its people. It lies in people like Jody, Ivalani, Raylene, Loki, and Pastor Allen who don't wait for others to act. They take the lead, and they inspire us all to do the same.

So colleagues and friends, please join me in congratulating these honorees for their selfless service to the families of West Oahu and beyond. We are all better because of the work they do, and we are stronger as a state because of them. Mahalo, Madam Speaker.

I just want to share a little about a story when I got a call from one of my friends and saying, hey, Dave, I got some guys doing illegal things at my mom's house and need help to get these guys out.

Representative Alcos.

Madam Speaker, in support.

Please proceed.

They've been trying hard to get these guys doing illegal gambling, maybe sex trafficking, I'm not sure, selling drugs.

And so I reached out to some of my friends, and then we went out to the house, and I saw these group of guys sitting down in yellow T shirts in front a game room or maybe a drug dealer house.

And the bravery that they had to just sit down there with their chairs and let them notify that, hey, you're being watched. We know that you're there, and you guys did such an amazing job, not just to my community, but many places in our neighborhood.

And just to say that a lot of us see that happening, and when we say we see something, we say something, that's not really true on what we do, at least not always for myself, but these guys, it's amazing of what they do for our communities.

And I just want to say thank you so much for you guys hard work. Thank you.

Members, we will be taking a voice vote on this resolution. All those in favor say aye. The motion is carried. Representative Garcia, please proceed. With the certificate and lei presentation.

The chair will call a recess to allow the Members of the House to meet and congratulate the honorees. Recess. Will the House come to order? Item number six, reports of standing committees. Representative Todd.

Madam Speaker, I move to adopt standing Committee report numbers 1505 through 1512 as listed on pages 2 and 3, and that the accompanying House Resolutions and House Concurrent Resolutions be referred to their designated committees. Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion. Members, we will be taking up discussion of companion measures in Tandem, beginning with HSCR number 150. HSCR 1505 and 1506. Any discussion? Representative Souza. No vote, so ordered. SHSC. Excuse me. HSCR 1507 and 1508. Moving on to page three. Standing Committee report number 1509 and 1510.

Committee report number 1511 and 1512. Representative Garcia? No vote, so ordered. Representative Souza? No vote, so ordered. Representative Muraoka?

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Reyes Souza, Oda. Reservations. So ordered. Representative Elkos Sherwood. Reservations. And may I have. So ordered. Please proceed.

Having the rail going to the west side probably would like to see it going to make it to Ko'Olina and hopefully the rail can go a little bit more. In town we spent millions of dollars already into the rail.

Hopefully that a lot of the money that we spent goes directly to construction instead of, you know, some of it. Most of how much of it that will go to management and overhead. I would hope to see that this rail serve my grandkids later on down the road. Right now we fight traffic just coming out here.

Maybe in traffic about hour and a half just getting to Ewa Beach. Sometimes on a bad day, I can see if my grandkids get older, it's going to be maybe two hours. Quality time for our families is important and hopefully that we can cut construction in our costs.

Because when this rail was first introduced, it was way lower. But now within the billions of dollars that it cost, would like to see the cost drop and find a better solution in building this rail. Thank you.

Representative Peric. No vote, so ordered. Members, we will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried.

Representative Todd Madam Speaker, I move to adopt standing Committee report numbers 1513 through 1518 as listed on pages 4 and 5. And that the accompanying House Resolutions and House Concurrent Resolutions be adopted.

Representative Morikawa Madam Speaker, second the motion. Members, we will be taking up discussion of companion measures in tandem beginning with HSCR numbers 11513 and 151415 and 1516. Representative Souza? No vote. So ordered. And Standing Committee report number 1517 and 1518. Representative Souza. No vote. So ordered. Members, we will be taking a voice vote.

All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried. Item number 7. Are there any announcements? Representative Takayama?

Madam Speaker, I wanted to announce. Happy to announce that this year our office will again be assisting the YWCA in its Dress for Success program. Thanks to you, Madam Speaker, approving the request for Members, new Members.

The Dress for Success program is an effort by the YWCA to assist women who are seeking a second start in life because of former homelessness or incarceration, sometimes both. And so the idea is to collect business attire for them to be able to transition to their new jobs.

So Members use this Wednesday and the coming weekend to collect new or gently used women's business attire. And we'll be collecting them in my office starting next week. So thank you very much.

Thank you Representative Takayama, for doing this every year. Representative Matsumoto.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I sent an email out to everybody, but just wanted to remind the body as well as staff, we're going to be filming just out here outside the chamber from 9:30 till right before session and then for two hours after session.

If anybody has a story or something they'd like to share about Representative Gene Ward so we can share that to him, please come out again. All staff, all Members, we'd love to see you tomorrow. Thank you.

So this is for tomorrow from 9.

9:30 until session and then whenever session ends two hours after that.

Thank you Representative Matsumoto, for coordinating this effort. Representative Ilagan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thanks to you and your Committee on ecd. I've partnered with Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii as well as the HDC to host the Manufacturing and Innovation Day for tomorrow for the Members. It will be from 10am to 2pm and just a reminder, if you didn't know, there are actually over 700 manufacturers in Hawaii.

The total economic output from manufacturing in Hawaii is actually $1.68 billion in 2021. And that provided 12,000 manufacturing employees developing unique products here in Hawaii. Thank you for sharing that and allowing me to share that announcement.

Any other announcements? Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I move that this House stand adjourned until 12 o'clock noon tomorrow. Representative Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion, the House stands adjourned until 12 noon tomorrow.