Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs

Great afternoon, everyone. Happy aloha Friday. We've made it. Welcome to the joint committees on public Safety and Military affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs. Is that the correct name?

We love affairs.

Okay, this is the 3:00pm agenda. Today is March 28, 2025 and we're in Conference Room 225. This hearing is also being streamed on the Hawaii State Senate's YouTube channel. Just a few housekeeping announcements in the unlikely case of technical affairs.

This meeting will reconvene here in Conference Room 225 on March 312025 at 3:00pm for all testifiers, including those on Zoom. We ask that you stand on your end testimony.

If your all testimony is different from your written testimony, the time limit for each testifier will be 1 minute content including the hearing notice, copies of the bills and testimony can be found. I should say copies of the resolution can be found on the Legislature's website.

If time permits, decision making will occur after we hear from those offering testimonies. Just have a couple items on our agenda today. First off is Ser 24, and I'll note to the Members in the General public there is a proposal proposed, SD1, which was posted.

It also changes the title to Strongly urging the United States Department of Defense to maintain all References to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on its website websites for the public. That's the proposed SD1. With that, we'll move on to our list of registered testifiers or those that submitted testimony.

First off, we have is Burt Yamashita, President for Nisei Veterans Legacy on Zoom. In support.

Good afternoon, Senators. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I'm the President of the Nisei Veterans Legacy. Our mission is to keep alive the story of the Nisei soldiers of World War II. And we strongly support SCR24 and the amendment as proposed. Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you so much. Lisa Gibson for Indivisible Hawaii. In support, Jennifer Sabas, Daniel K. Noi, Institute. In support. Jason Chung, Hawaii Military Affairs Council. In support. William Vilconeco, Hawaii Coalition for Civil Rights. In support. Daphne Barbee Wootton, board Member for the African American Lawyers Association of Hawaii.

In support, Kathleen Hayashi, President for the Hundredth Infantry Battalion Veterans Club. In support, retired state Senator Randy Wasi. In support. Elliot Mills. In support. And Lorna Takahara Strand. In support. That completes our list of registered testifiers. Anyone else on SCR24? If not Members? Any questions?

Okay, with that, I'll turn it over to co chair Wakai Members we're going.

We're going to go on to our pair of resolutions, SCR 96 and SR 79, urging the County of Maui and the Maui Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, to develop and implement an evacuation route signage program for the County of Maui. And we have absolutely no testimony, so we will—what, should we go to decision making?

Yeah, we can roll into decision making.

Oh, yeah, let's roll.

Back to the first one. Okay, Members who.

Okay, I'll talk slow. All right.

So that you'll have quorum by the time he gets here. Okay. We'll go back to SCR 24. This is strongly urging the United States Department of Defense to maintain all references to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on its websites for the public.

Our recommendation here is to pass with amendments. We're going to adopt the proposed SD 1, and then after every mention of the 442nd, we're going to insert to include the Hundredth Infantry Battalion. Any further discussion? Okay. If not--yes, Senator Rhoads.

It's just a comment. I totally support this resolution. I'm really glad you're doing it. It's just an affront to everybody who cares about fairness and decency to imply that somehow, if you're not White, you didn't contribute to the United States, so I totally support this. I'm super glad you're doing it. Thanks.

Thank you, Senator. Members, any other further comments, questions, or concerns? Okay. If not, Vice Chair Wakai--or Co-Chair Wakai, I should say--chair votes aye.

I vote yes. Senator Fukunaga?

I will slowly also vote yes.

Yay. Thank you. Senator Rhoads?

Yes.

Okay. Everybody's on point here. Senator DeCorte?

Yeah.

Oh, that was quick.

Okay. Should I get to it? Okay. Chair, your recommendation's adopted. For those on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, we're going to have a hearing at 3:15 downstairs, so we will push decision-making to that on this Friday the 28th at 3:15 in Room 016.

Yes.

For the next two measures, SCR 96 and SR 79, it's been my practice that if there's absolutely no testimony that we will defer, so we will defer. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. We are--oh, yeah. Sorry. Just to make sure that--the recommendation is to defer. Okay.

And same recommendation for the Committee on Public Safety Military Affairs is to defer.

Great. Thank you. We're adjourned.