Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection

Foreign. Welcome to the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. This is our Friday, April 11, 2025, 9:30, the first of 3, 9:30am agendas in Conference Room 229 at the Hawaii State Capitol. The subsequent two agendas are on Governor's nominees to boards and commissions.

We took testimony on those nominations in previous hearings, and we'll be making decision-making on those nominees at the conclusion of this first agenda. First up is Governor's message 555, Michael Nanaka, for consideration and confirmation to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund for a term to expire June 30, 2028.

Well, I guess I should read before we proceed. This, this meeting is being streamed live on YouTube, and in the unlikely event that we need to abruptly end this hearing, we will try to reconvene as quickly as possible. We go into conference committee next week, and it gets a little more cumbersome to reschedule.

This is a 90-minute hearing time slot. So we hope to be concluded with this business and the other two subsequent agendas prior to 11 a.m. We do observe a two-minute testimony time limit in this committee, and we would encourage you to stand on your testimony if you intend to read it verbatim.

We've the committee has been apprised of your written testimony, and I've reviewed it. If you're online, please stand by. Your audio will be muted and video disabled until it's your turn to testify. Okay, let's begin. DCCA Insurance Division in support. Yeah. Hawaii Insurance Council in support. Thank you very much.

We also have testimony from Stephen Chow and in support and support from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund. Is there anyone else who would like to testify on this measure? This nominee. Okay, I'm told the nominee is traveling.

He was available and presented in the briefing that the joint committees on consumer protection in the House and Senate held last week. Next nominee is Governor's message 593. Marie Weite. Weite. Did I get that right? To also to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors for a term to expire June 30, 2028.

Again, we have the DCCA insurance division in support. Hawaii Insurers Council. Thank you. Stephen Chow, Aaron Ling Johansen, and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund also in support. Is there anyone else who would like to testify on this nomination? Okay. Any questions? We'll save it for the chair. Okay, next is, we'll move on. Governor's message 594, Reina Miyamoto.

Also, to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors, term to expire June 30, 2028. We have DCCA Insurance Division in support. We have the Mortgage Bankers of Hawaii in support. Gentry Homes in support. Daisy Chung, Sherilyn and Ishida Tanaka in support. Rochelle Lee Gregson in support. Deborah Lunning in support, Miley Kanamaru from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund.

Is there anyone else who would like to testify on Governor's Message 594? Okay. If not, I think we have the nominee online. Ms. Miyamoto, if you'd like to make a statement and address the Committee, go ahead and unmute and feel free to do so. Good morning.

Good morning. Thank you so much for this opportunity. You know, the hurricane insurance issues, particularly for condos, is a significant issue for, you know, a lot of homeowners and prospective home buyers. So, I appreciate the opportunity to be considered to serve on the Hurricane Relief Fund Board. Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much. Members, any questions for the nominees? Okay, looks like there are none. Thank you for making yourself available this morning and for stepping forward to serve. Next, we have Governor's message 595, Leslie Door, also to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund for a term to expire June 30, 2028.

Hawaii Insurance Council in support. Thank you. We also have written testimony from the DCCA Insurance Division in support, Timothy Johns of Zephyr Insurance Company in support, Martha Briga for Dietrich in support, John Maurer in support, Edward Gabriel Kelnui in support, the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund in support, and the Hawaii Independent Insurance Agents Association in support.

Is there anyone else who would like to testify? Okay, seeing none. Thank you. Members, any questions for the nominee? Okay. Next, we will move on to Governor's Message 597, Edward Haik, for consideration to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund. Term to expire June 30, 2028.

We have the DCCA insurance division in s,upport and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund in support there anyone else who would like to testify? Seeing none. Mr. Haik.

Present, thank you. Nice to be here. Welcome the opportunity to be of service.

Thank you very much. Members, any questions for the nominee? I, I do. If you can join us. Thank you for stepping forward to serve and taking on the role as the chair of the board.

I'm not sure if you were following along, but, but I'm sure you've been apprised of the presentation and the questions that the joint committees asked in relation to the Hurricane Fund presentation last week. And I guess I, we did send some follow-ups. I'm actually not.

I didn't check before we got into the briefing as to whether we received responses yet.

Those will be submitted likely one o'clock today, we're going to take a final review of the responses, but weren't well circulated and communicated. So I think, I believe the deadline was two o'clock, so.

Could you maybe summarize the responses that you intend to submit to the committees?

Yes. I'll summarize it by saying the objective is to reach the greatest common denominator of potential insureds to help balancing all the issues and accessing the reinsurance market, which is where the largest log jam in our view exists in terms of trying to bring more competitive pricing and more support to competitors in the marketplace.

Thank you for that. It does seem like a good part of that conversation that we had last week centered around the need for the Hurricane Fund to have as much money and as much flexibility as possible to try and attract reinsurers and partners to help expand out capacity.

And on the other side, just a general concern by members of the legislature that there ultimately is a limited amount of funds that the Hurricane Fund will be able to deploy with or without additional support and the desire to ensure to the best amount possible that that money be deployed to provide coverage for residents, especially the residents that are having the hardest time dealing with the premium increases.

So, can you provide us any updates in the discussions that the board may have had or that you may have had with the consultant around the feedback, you know, related to that discussion in the briefing last week?

Yeah, very well received. The objective is to work with whatever parameters we have, whatever capital is committed to trying to to relieve pressure and to create the widest audience to potentially insure.

So I think that message was well received, and we're trying to target a range that will allow as many people as possible, given the capital committed to access via HHRF Hurricane insurance if need be.

So one of the. Well, maybe I'll stop here and see if members have any. So one of the, one of the items that came up in prior conversations that was not put forward by the board or AON in the presentation last week was around putting in particular conditions on eligibility.

I know there was some hesitancy by the board and the consultant around making the rules to cumbers the eligibility rules too cumbersome and how that might delay the process of rolling out the product.

But one of the I felt like one of the clearer, easier to understand potential eligibility criteria for the larger buildings is an owner occupancy requirement. We have had discussions about that and I was expecting that that might come up in the conversation last weekend. It didn't.

And I think that's part of why we spent so much time emphasizing the legislature's concern about money being deployed to speculative high-rise condominiums when there are a lot of people hurting in low-rise or in buildings that we know are full of residents. And so, you know, where has that, that at least that specific criteria, because it's so easy to comprehend. Where is that in the conversation?

In the initiative, I believe the consultant is advising clearly and strongly if we're going to attract reinsurance in the initial policy phase. Trying to delineate whether a policyholder is a resident or not does slow the process.

So we could get to market very quickly if we are covering, say, above 10 million, below 100 million, and that will incorporate a lot of buildings. Buildings less than 10 million are still getting access from current admitted care carriers here in the marketplace. So defining that with a range that's attractive to reinsurers is a good first step to be able to get a policy in place quickly and then look at further iterations to policies in the future is basically the message.

Sure. So there's still some hesitancy on that. You know, it seems to me like the, the initial pushback from you guys last week around a condition like that was that it's difficult to obtain demographic information about residents in different buildings. But you know, a homeowner's exemption as a percentage of ownership of the units. Right.

That seems like a dataset that might not be too difficult to obtain.

If you want that support from the reinsurance market, the first iteration likely needs to leave that clause out because it's more detail that won't be immediately forthcoming.

So if we want to get a policy in by summer, we've got to draw them in with the common parameters that they're going to look for to support the reinsurance market. I think if you get that and you start to build right now, HHRF isn't insuring anyone.

If the HHRF ends up insuring a lot of people and have a good book that you can add that layer of, you know, further layers of details to the policy and get more response from the marketplace.

But the immediate response, you kind of have to approach the reinsurance market with the terms that they're accustomed to looking at for this type of reinsurance.

And potentially more versity in the riskiness of the policyholders. So, so it does sound more like a, it does sound to me like the Hurricane Fund is more amenable to the, the approach that was being put forward by the House to just lower the cap.

Yeah, I would say that's fair. We, we're not distinguishing between House and Senate. We understand the community and are just trying to take.

The Senate convene though. The briefing, so is our idea, by its nature, that doesn't really bother me. It's just getting an understanding of exactly what we're doing and why.

Right.

Right.

Understood.

That's more important because there still is a pretty significant appropriation ask on the table by the fund.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, that does make sense, and it does answer the question, so I'll stop there, members. Senator Richards.

Thank you. And by no means am I insurance guru on this, but you talk about the reinsurance, and from my look at it, relatively speaking, it's a relatively small market for reinsurance, and our exposure would be wide. I mean, theoretically, I remember Hurricane Iniki was very small impact on one island.

But my concern is if we hit Oahu. The idea of insurance is everybody chips in and then you cover your losses, and we still keep the company in business and everybody's kept, keeps whole. But if I, I just.

What are your thoughts on the size of our, I don't know how to phrase it, maybe market, with the likelihood of the exposure of that whole market potential or a good portion of that potential.

Because my concern, the reinsurer is going to look at and go, the exposure may be too much, we may do fine, and then we could get hit really hard. What's your thoughts on that?

Well, I think the reinsurance market is willing to support this market. An analogy I tried to use was it's it's all the same product. Insurance is risk transfer. And one way I phrased it is, imagine your favorite big box store. If you buy your favorite drink outside from the vending machine, it could be two, three dollars.

If you go into your favorite big box store and buy a case of that favorite drink, it could be 20 or 30 cents per unit. If you go all the way back out where the semis are and say, hey, I need a pallet of that, maybe you could get two, three cents, you know, per item.

It's the same item. And so reinsurance is really in that pallet, you know, end the semi, trailer end of the market. So to answer your question, I don't think there's any concerns about getting reinsurance or supporting the marketplace. It's just where are we, are we buying it, and how are we buying it?

So, back to your point, Senator, if you try and customize too much of the serving size, call it vis-à-vis that, who's living in it? Are they local, are they not? That's, you don't do that customization when you're negotiating for a pallet. You can do that on the single serving. I get what you're saying.

Thank you. So, so then it comes back to the affordability of it. And so that's where the conversation is.

And we believe it gets more affordable if we present ourselves as the largest market we can be to the largest providers of that service. And that's why customization will have to come later, depending on how much uptake we actually provide for policies.

Alright, thank you. Thanks, Chair.

Members, any other questions?

Just real quick, it's a loan right now that's being contemplated, the funding. So that's going to kind of really limit the options and who we can help because we got to pay it back. So you're going to have to have this mix of coverage and customers, for lack of a better word, in order to pay it back, right?

Maybe you're referring to a potential loan from the HHRF to the HPIA. Is that what you're referring to?

So there's that. And then the bill, SB1044, is contemplating an additional appropriation to the HHRF on top of the 171 million that they have available to.

Okay, that would be additional. So the more capital you have, the more risk you can take. So we can take a certain measure, the HHRF could take a certain measure of risk just based on the funds that it has. Back to your point, maybe about the scale of the market.

If a big accident happens, it could be a big event. And, and, and I don't believe the HHRF is going to negotiate with reinsurers to take on more appetite than is appropriate. But if you wanted to potentially cover a wider share of the whole Hawaii market, you would need additional capital, which could potentially be a loan.

It could be financing from, you know, bond issuance. It could be, you know, fees, you know, could be any other way. But that's speaking more to about how much total risk you want to take. So HHR can probably help. Likely help.

I believe it helped the first time and I, and I believe it can help the second time. It's really about just taking your institutional buying power, negotiating good rates with the institutional-level providers of risk transference or insurance, and how much of that you want to do.

Thank you. Appreciate that under the hood.

So I think, you know, we'll tailor it to what's appropriate or what's appropriated and what we have, and the better capacity that we have, we know what we can negotiate with the reinsurers on.

After it gets started.

In order to get started fast. You're gonna, you're gonna start with bright lines that are, we're gonna start.

After you get started.

With what we know they'll buy.

Yeah.

But it's so you can go fast.

That's the tradeoff. That's the speed.

That's right. And we heard, hey, you guys gotta pick up the pace and get some policies in the market. So we're balancing all, we're listening very closely. You know, rest assured, all the feedback is, is well understood and well absorbed, and we're doing our best to balance all those.

Well, and thank you for that. It's, you know, you know, it's very complicated.

And so, you know, if that's going to continue to be the position of the HHRF, then I think it's important for us to have this clearly communicated to the public that the trade, the bargain here is that, you know, based off of the sort of limited information available to us now, you guys are going to start broad so you can go fast and then, and then adjust accordingly.

How long before you anticipate, you know, I mean, you're anticipating rolling out policies this summer. How long before you start to get enough data to be able to make that decision, or that determination?

It cycles in the reinsurance market, sort of revolve around beginning of the year and mid-year. So I would, I would think that, you know, by the beginning of the next year we could have some more negotiations depending on how many people are, how much need there is, how much demand there is.

And like, okay, what, what will we be looking to negotiate for in round two?

So maybe January, when we come back into session, you can come back in and give us pretty detailed policies.

We'll have a lot more information with which to say, okay, here's some further options that, you know, we believe we can provide the community or responds to the issues that you're raising more in a more focused way.

Okay. Anything else, members? Okay, well, thank you for taking us through that. Yeah. We'll move on to the next nominee. Last nominee for the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board, Gwen McDonald, for a term to expire also June 30, 2028.

Governor's Message 782. DCCA Insurance Division in support. First Hawaiian Bank in support, with George Leong, David Rair, Lea Nakamura in support. John Martin in support. Courtney Wagner with comments. Trevor McGinley, Alyssa Hostelley, both in support. Jodi Inoue in support.

Malcolm Lau, Ben Kashiwabara, Eric Yee, Danielle Yafuso, Darian DeSellem, Joel Rappoport, Keith Murata, Justin Puckett, Teri Shiroma, April Lee, and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board, all submitting testimony in support. Is there anyone else who would like to testify on the nominee? Okay. If not, Ms. McDonald?

Yeah. Thank you, Chair and Members of the Committee. I really appreciate the opportunity to serve the people in the State of Hawaii and resolve some hurricane issues.

Thank you. Members, any questions? Okay. If not, we will move on. Thank you all for again stepping forward and making yourselves available today. The next nominee is Governor's Message 517, Teresa Hernandez for confirmation to the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic for a term to expire June 30, 2028. We have Hawaii Board of Chiropractic in support.

Thank you. That's all the testimony we've received. Is there anyone else who would like to testify? Okay. Ms. Hernandez. Good morning. Good morning. If you'd like to make a statement around your nomination and address the Committee, please, please do so.

Yes. I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to consider me for this opportunity. Chiropractic has been a big passion for me over the last seven years, and I just look forward to the potential of being able to serve on the board.

Thank you for stepping forward. Members, any questions for the nominee? Okay, seeing none. We'll move on. Thank you again for making yourself available.

Governor's Message 729 is next. Terence Aratani to the Board of Nursing for a term to expire June 30, 2028. Board of Nursing in support.

Good morning Chair, Vice Chair, Members of the Committee. Alexander Pang, Executive Officer for State Board of Nursing. We stand on our written testimony in support.

Thank you. Hawaii Primary Care Association in support.

I'll be very brief. My name is Erik Abe. I'm speaking on behalf of the Hawaii Primary Care Association. I'm also speaking as a friend of Mr. Aratani. I've known him for over 40 years. We both started as legislative, lowly legislative interns many, many years ago.

And I have seen him progress into progressively more responsible positions, up to the most difficult staff position at in this building, which is the Chief of Staff of the Hawaii State Senate. He, in my estimation, represents the best that the Hawaii State Legislature has to offer the people of Hawaii.

He is someone who has committed his entire life to public service. And so with that, I urge your favorable consideration of his nomination. But more importantly, I ask you, I implore you to start grooming the next generation of Terrence Aratanis.

Because Terrence Aratani and myself, we're dinosaurs. We're closer to the end than we are at the beginning. But in order for government to work, we need to find the next generation of people who are willing to give their lives to doing what is best for the people.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Don Kurisu in support. Nancy Lynn Bernal in support. Mike Nguyen for Aloha Care in support.

And...okay, is there anyone else who would like to testify? Okay. Seeing none. Mr. Aratani, good morning.

Good morning Chair, Vice Chair and Members of the Committee. I just want to say that I've been serving on the Board of Nursing since August of 2023, and we would love to continue serving in that capacity. And thank you for considering my nomination today. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. Thank you once again.

Thank you. Members, any questions? Okay. Seeing none. Thank you oh, Senator Awa.

Mr. Aratani, thanks for serving. I have major concerns from my constituents and, and it goes totally against the "best we have to offer" comments that were just made.

There are accusations that essentially Mr. Aratani tried to take money from our kupuna in the form of a grant back in 2019. I want to get your side of the story.

There was application for GIAs for our Ko'olauloa resiliency hub. Money was nearly awarded but it was pulled back at the last minute because of the controversy. This is what I'm told and, and it is very concerning.

So I want to hear your side of what happened because I was told that it was supposed to go to our resiliency hub and you pulled it out at the last minute to try to put it directly to the Ko'olauloa Health Center instead.

Okay, I'll be happy to answer, Senator Awa. What happened was we were partnering with Ko'olauloa to build a resilience center. Initially I was approached by their Executive Director to pursue a granting aid because they felt that they wouldn't be able to have ability to initially get a state grant and aid back in 2019. So we agreed to partner.

We were going to be the lead on that. Back then it wasn't a resilience center. We had a plan to do a community center, several stories buildings on that property. And we were going to build our clinic on the bottom floor and share the rest of the space with the community.

Over time, since the grant was awarded, the ED wanted to convert the property to a resilience center. Initially we had an architect consultant who we were using and she brought in an architect from New York who was supposed to. We were informed that he was going to fund the entire project through his foundation.

When we started proceeding, he came to the site. We were informed that he would be the architect. He would work with local architects and then he started discussing his fees and contract.

So at that point I had to inform my board that the purpose of us joining, partnering with Ko'olauloa had changed tremendously. So the board decided to pull back on that project. So that's our side of the story. Thank you.

Was the money given?

No, it was because we were the designated entity for the granting aid, there was no way to transfer that fund to Hui O Hau'ula. And I was never approached by to make any type of transfer of that money.

No, the money was...the granting aid, the granting aid, 200,000 was a state-granted aid. We could not use the monies because it was specified for a particular project in Hau'ula. So the monies eventually lapsed.

The resiliency hub, right? Through Hui O Hau'ula.

Okay. And I appreciate your side of the story. I am still concerned because the way it was told from the other side was that, you know, you made the pitch.

You can correct me if I'm wrong, but you made the pitch that with all of your experience and connections in here in the Legislature, it'd be better that you would take the lead. And so they really felt that they were swindled, I guess you could say, for lack of better words.

I would say that is a...

Go ahead.

That's pretty defamatory to say I swindled money because in it again, I said that we were partnering with Hui O Hau'ula and that was the intent. When the resilience center was changing to, instead of Koʻolauloa Health Center having a clinic on a floor space to having a structure on the side, that changed the purpose of the entire project.

And we were looking at an estimated cost for the community center - not a resilience center now - a community center of maybe 5 to 15 million for the entire community project, now turning it into resilience center.

You know, the Executive Director started talking about a plasma recycling center having storage facilities, capacity to, I believe, hold 2,400 individuals in case of emergency. The project expanded tremendously beyond what we anticipated. That's why, again, you know, we pulled out.

Okay. I appreciate you giving your side. Thank you.

Thank you.

Members, any other questions? Okay. Seeing none. Thank you, Mr. Aratani. We'll move to the next Governor's... Just a second. Okay. Next nominee is Governor's Message 730, Sheryl Shields-Hanson for consideration to the Board of Nursing, also for a term to expire June 30, 2028. Board of Nursing in support. Thank you very much. Katherine Plyler and Tammie Napoleon, also in support. Is there anyone else who would like to testify? I believe we have the nominee online. Good morning.

Good morning. Good morning.

If you'd like to address the committee, then please go ahead.

Okay, thank you. I do. Sheryl Shields-Hanson. I am very excited to continue my service to the Board of Nursing. I have over 40 years experience in nursing and 35 experience in teaching. And I am, with my advocacy for both patients and nurses and nursing students, I feel I'm an exceptional committee member, board member. So I urge you to approve my continued membership of the Board of Nursing. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Members, any questions? Oh, Senator Awa.

Thank you. Thanks for your willingness to serve. I want to know if you know of Hawaii Pacific Health's employee give back campaign.

I do have... I do know about the Hawaii Pacific Health and also University of Hawaii give back campaign. Yes, sir.

I was told, you know, by a number of nurses that whatever unit they may be in, whoever's managing it puts a lot of pressure for everybody in the unit to comply with giving back part of their salaries to the company. Is what I'm hearing true?

I believe that the campaign is pretty healthy and there are a lot of signs and literature presented to the employees. However, it is totally voluntary as far as giving back to... These are both with the University of Hawaii and also HPH, it's totally voluntary to give to this campaign.

I know. I know that it's voluntary. What I was asking was nurses are telling me that they feel pressured even though it's voluntary. They feel pressured where if they say no, whoever's managing that unit will throw in a dollar or something just so they can say 100% of our nurses are on board with the program.

I personally do not know of that type of harassment, if you call it.

That's what they feel. Yes.

Yeah, it sounds like they are feeling like they're being harassed. I personally am not involved or have seen that. I can absolutely identify that maybe managers are being, you know, really pressured to get their employees to donate. I think it happens.

I've been in places where I've worked, where United Way has been very, you know, hardcore, if you will. But I still think, at the end of the day, it's voluntary and it might be something that they need to address specifically to their supervisor. And if that isn't helpful, to go to the next step or the next level.

Understood. Thank you. Yeah. And ask as a nurse, you know, we always hear every year they're out there striking for better wages, better working environments. You've been there for 35 years. You've been in the field for 35 years it says. What's your take on the discrepancy of nurses salaries versus CEO salaries? Where in 2020, it says HPH's CEO made 2.7 million. 4.4 million in 2023. There are others in other positions in Queen′s Health Systems made 2 million in 2020. Do you think that's fair?

Hi, Senator. My name is Chelsea Fukunaga. I'm one of the Executive Officers for the Board of Nursing. This is Alex Pang. He's the other Executive Officer. So I don't think this is within the purview of what she would be... On her in her capacity as a board member, she wouldn't be answering these questions normally. It would be just with the licensure aspect.

I'm asking because she's a nurse in front of us. So anybody who comes in front of us in the field, I want to know their mentality on certain issues that are very concerning to the people that I represent.

I kind of just want to be respectful of what her expertise is for the board though.

And I would like to know her mentality because I'm voting on her. I don't know why you guys both sat up here. I didn't call you guys up.

We just wanted to make sure that we're speaking to her capacity as a board member.

I can appreciate that.

And so when she's on the board, she wouldn't be answering to this type of questioning. That's why.

So if you came up and you're being confirmed as a board member of anything, in this case, it's nursing. But let's say you have a deep, dark secret behind, you know, your back shed and you like to kill animals. I would like to know about that because that's going to affect how I vote.

We just, again, I just want to make sure that she's answering to her capacity as a board member. So we wouldn't necessarily be talking about the nurse ratio. We kind of just sticking to licensure on this.

I know what the job is in the board. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I know what the job of what she's being put there is. I'm trying to have a conversation with her so I can understand some of the things that she thinks about, whether it pertains to the job or not.

Because as a human being, that's my scope of my vote is way well beyond what she's going to do on the commission. So I return back to the question, if I may, Chair. Thank you. What do you think about the discrepancies currently? Again, I realize that this is not in the scope of the position, but because you're in front of me and you have a lot of experience as a nurse, I just want to know.

I just find this is not just in health care. I, as a citizen of the United States, feel that it is something that is a problem across the board for many corporations. Again, I can't speak specifically to HPH because I have not evaluated those types of salaries, but I think it is a problem in the United States of America across the board. So I will just leave it at that.

That's what I wanted to know. And so thank you. I am in support of your recommendation.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

Members, any other questions for the nominee? Okay. If not, thank you very much for making yourself available. We'll move on. The next nominee is Governor's Message 731, Darryn Dunbar, for consideration also to the Board of Nursing for a term to expire June 30, 2029. BCCA in support.

Morning Chair, Vice Chair, Dean Hazama, Deputy Director. We proudly stand on our testimony in support.

Thank you. Madeline Samis in support. Jacob Porter in support. And Diana Motley in support. Excuse me. Is there anyone else who would like to testify on this nomination?

Chair, cell systems standing in strong support of the nominate as well.

Okay, thank you. If we got you late, then we'll check. But if you can help us remember to make sure your testimony is noted for the record. Oh, it is. Okay. I don't have it on my list, that's all. We do have you. Is there anyone else who would like to testify? Members, questions?

Oh, do we have the nominee online? Oh, in the room. Would you like to make a statement?

Morning, Chair, Vice Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and for the opportunity to consider to serve on the Board of Nursing. Having been a nurse for 35 years, I practice at the bedside as a nurse practitioner, as an educator, and as a leader.

If you can come up and. Yeah. For an extended statement, just so that you get caught on the feed online. Yeah. Good morning.

You might start by reintroducing yourself.

Good morning. Thank you.

Sure. My name is Darryn Dunbar. I work as the Senior Director of Nursing Operations at the Queen's Medical Center. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here this morning for the opportunity to be considered to serve the Hawaii Board of Nursing.

I've been a nurse for 35 years and served at the bedside as an advanced practice nurse, as an educator, and as a leader. These varied experiences as a nurse inform my interest in working with the Hawaii Board of Nursing and giving back in this way.

I learned early on the importance of being professionally active, not only at work, but in the external aspects of the profession of nursing. I'm a transformational leader dedicated to creative solutions and improvement. And again, thank you for the opportunity to be here and to be considered for this role. Happy to entertain any questions.

Thank you. Members, questions?

Senator Awa.

I really appreciate that you're here in person because these are conversations that I'd like to have. And so, what I asked the previous nominee.

I'd like to get your take on as well, the discrepancy between the executives who make millions of dollars while nurses have to continue to fight every year to get better working conditions and a little more money in their pocket.

Certainly. It's a real conversation. It's also complicated. I think there's a lot of things that go into that in terms of educational preparation experiences and differences in terms of salary versus hourly wages.

And nurses, unlike other professionals, have opportunities to modify or augment their income by choice of, you know, many nurses' salaries are based on 36 36-hour work week. Many other professionals work 40 hours or so. I don't have, I don't feel prepared to respond to, you know, is somebody making two million versus a nurse making 170,000. That discrepancy. There's differences.

Or maybe just anybody making a more than a million dollars in the health care field, do you think that's fair? When, when on our side, you know, we pay medical, and some of us can't even afford to go to the doctors because of the bill that we get after the insurance doesn't cover all of it?

Understood. Fair is a tough question. I am strongly in favor of nurses being paid wages that are fair, that are, that they deserve to earn for the work that's done at the bedside. Again, I've been a nurse for 35 years and have been advocated in various ways along the way to do that.

I think we have some particular challenges with the cost of living in Hawaii, and so understand that, as you mentioned, nurses coming back year after year to advocate for themselves for these wages. I don't know how to, I haven't given thought to how a solution might address this this issue.

There is certainly discrepancy would be wrong to say otherwise. In terms of the fairness, I don't know that I, I'm prepared to be the arbiter of that.

It just seems to me that, you know, when, when the gap is that big and, and there are people making that much money, yet others can't afford to go to the doctors. Some people can't even afford to do their job.

It just seems like, hey, you know, just like HICO, right, when, when their CEO is making a, almost a million bucks and everybody's like, hey, why is my bill going up? Can you guys cut off the top over there? And that's the concern that I bring to you.

And I understand it's a hard position to be in, you know, just getting peppered with questions that, you know, is not really relevant to the role that you're going to be doing. But because you're here, I wanted to have the conversation. Thank you.

Members, any other questions? Thank you for stepping forward to serve. Next, we have Governor's Message 732. Marianne Timmerman for consideration to the Board of Dentistry for a term to expire June 30, 2029. Board of Dentistry in support. Thank you. Ginny Wakefield in support. Okay, is there anyone else who would like to testify? Okay, Ms. Timmerman.

Yeah, sorry, the mic.

I serve again on the board. Experience with.

Anything beyond standing on your testimony. Then we ask you to come so that you can speak into the mic, and the feed can catch you for the record.

Yeah. You can start with your name.

Okay.

My name is Marianne Timmerman and I would love to serve on the board of Dentistry again. I feel like I've gained even more experience with, you know, knowing the dental and dental hygiene exam, clinical exams, to get licensed and I feel it's very important. So I just want to be on the board to, you know, help protect the public of our state. Thank you.

Thank you. Members, any questions? Okay, thank you very much. Okay. Last nominee on this agenda is Governor's message 733 for consideration to the State Boxing Commission, Eiichi Jumawan, for a term to expire June 30, 2029. Boxing Commission.

Thank you, Chair, members of the committee. Justin Jo, here, Executive Officer. Here to stand on written testimony in support of the nomination.

Thank you. Michael Fredas in support. Jacqueline Kurita in support. Robin Jumoan in support. Miles Eno in support. Is there anyone else who would like to testify? Okay. Mr. Jumawan.

I just want to say that I look forward to serving on the board and as the Chair, sit back on my testimony and.

Thank you. Members, any questions for the nominee? Okay. If not, we'll recess for decision making.

Welcome back. This is decision making on our first Friday, April 11, 2025, 9:30am agenda in Conference Room 229. These are on nominees that we've just taken testimony and asked questions of. If there are no objections by the committee, I'm going to recommend that we take all of the nominees in one motion.

Because after reviewing the testimony, the recommendation is going to be that we advise and consent to the nominations of all of the members on the agenda. Any discussion, Members? Senator Awa.

if you could just log down a no vote for GM 729, please. And at the advice of my colleague, the good Senator from Lahaina, if Hawaii Pacific Health, when it comes to their employee give back campaign, can make sure that the executives give back a lot more than the nurses, I would appreciate it.

So noted. So again noting the opposition from Senator Awa on Governor's Message 729. The recommendation, Members, in one vote will be to advise and consent to the following nominees. GM 555, Michael Nonaka to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors. Governor's Message 593, Marie Weite to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors.

Governor's Message 594, Reina Miyamoto to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors. Governor's Message 595, Leslie Door to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors. Governor's Message 597, Edward Haik to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors. Governor's Message 782, Gwen McDonald to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Board of Directors.

Governor's Message 517, Teresa Hernandez to the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic. Governor's Message 729, Terrence Aratani to the Board of Nursing. Governor's Message 730, Sheryl Shields-Hanson to the Board of Nursing.

Governor's Message 731, Darryn Dunbar to the Board of Nursing. Governor's Message 732, Marianne Timmerman to the Board of Dentistry. And Governor's Message 733, Eiichi Jumawan to the Boxing Commission of Hawaii. And the Chair votes aye.

Thank you. The CPN Members present, are there any voting with... Oh, I'm sorry. Of the Members present, are there any voting in the, with objections or reservations?

Just to the one previously noted, and aye for all the rest.

Okay, thank you, Senator Awa. All others are adopted.

Thank you very much. We're adjourned.

Okay, we're reconvening for decision making on this Friday, April 11, 2025, 9:30am agenda in Conference Room 229 to consider Governor's Message 747, Zachary Johnson to the Board of Public Accountancy for a term to expire June 30, 2029.

After reviewing the testimony that's come in after the hearing, the recommendation is to advise and consent to the nomination. Any discussion? Okay, Seeing none. Passing, advising and consenting to the nomination. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Vice Chair also votes aye. [Roll Call] Thank you. Recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. We're adjourned.

Okay. Reconvening on our final 9:30am agenda on Friday, April 11, 2025 in Conference Room 229 at the State Capitol. The recommendation on the recommendation, if there are no objections, is to take the following nominees in one vote and to advise and consent to their nominations after reviewing the testimony in a prior hearing. Governor's Message 561, Tiffany Lynn Hummel to the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Governor's Message 563, Gabrielle Asay to the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine. Governor's Message 658, Brooke Foreman to the Board of Acupuncture. And Governor's Message 706, Brian Chen to the Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Members, any discussion? Okay. Seeing none. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Vice Chair also votes aye. [Roll Call] Recommendations are adopted.

Thank you very much. Thank you for serving. We are adjourned.