Senate Floor

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

[Roll Call] 24 present, one excused.

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

Thank you, Mr. President. Joining us today up here in the gallery, we're fortunate to have students and staff from Malama Honua Public Charter School in Waimanalo.

They're here today to, advocate for after school enrichment, which for myself, I probably should have a little more of growing up. But with us are six students, Zoe Bozina. Please stand.

I'm gonna call your name. Malia Brown or Miley Brown, Zoe Riffers, Nora j Smith, Kaya Clemens, and Keolu Poipule. And then with them are Kumu Denise Espana and Kumu Tara Hassid. Can we please welcome them to the Senate?

Further introductions? Senator Kim.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I'm honored to be the first speaker introducing our guest today on the floor. Born in San Bernardino, California, Laura Beeman or coach b, as many of us call her,

began her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Redlands before moving on to become an assistant coach, then the head coach at Mount say Mount San Antonio College in Walnut Creek, California.

Coach b led the program to four CCCAA titles, 10 South Coast Conference titles, and was inducted into the Mount San Antonio Hall of Fame in 2026.

Coach b continued her coaching ascension as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and an assistant coach at USC before becoming the head coach for our University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball team in 2012.

Coach b led the Rainbow Wahine's to three Big West Conference regular season titles, three Big West tournament championships, and four WNIT appearances, three NCAA tournament appearances, and four Big West Coach of the Year awards.

Coach B has an overall record of the University of Hawaii with 244 wins, and who cares about the losses. Right?

On a personal note, Mr. President, while I've watched and followed coach B since she became our head coach at the University of Hawaii, I've never really had the opportunity to get to know her until about a year or so ago when she reached out to me

and we had a nice long meeting in my office. She impressed me and as many of you know I'm not easily impressed. Right? With her enthusiasm and her passion about her coaching, her team and the University of Hawaii.

She enlightened me about the details and nuances of NIL, the name, image, and likeness, and became and because of that, the Senate and the house, we held a joint info briefing on NIL to educate all of the legislators. I had her be the lead speaker at this info briefing.

She gave us an over overview of NIL, and she did an exceptional job and is definitely athletic director material in my book.

With that, I now cede the floor to Senator Fukunaga.

Senator Fukunaga.

Thank you, Mr. President. Originally established in 2006 for young men, the youth impact program was founded by Ricky Ellison, a 10 year NFL veteran and three time Super Bowl champion, a preventative program that seeks to make changes in at risk middle school young men.

The free ten day program provides sixty plus hours of classroom time and twenty hours of football fitness training and mentoring. Participants are also provided two meals a day and transportation to the university.

In 2017, the University of Hawaii began its first youth impact program for young men through the football program.

Understanding the importance and influence her platform and program has with the youth of Hawaii in 2022, which was the 50th anniversary of title 9, coach B established the nation's first youth impact program for young women.

She brought in the program's curricula to be relevant and meaningful to young women and provided a safe environment to develop leadership skills and a sense of individual self worth. She also built a culture centered on growth, accountability, and aloha.

Many thanks to you for an unforgettable legacy, coach b. I now yield the floor to the Senator from Hawaii Kai.

Senator Chang.

Thank you, Mr. President. While her coaching credentials are peerless, coach b has the rare combination of personal integrity, intelligence, and compassion that allows her to embody the essence of this olelo no eau or traditional Hawaiian proverb.

Diligently walks the humble hearted. The or concealed or hidden reference of this meaning expresses the belief that one who is humble has deep empathy and kindness for others and treads with humility and caring in their daily lives interactions with others.

Coach B challenges her players with a mantra that they must trust the process, trust their teammates and coaches, and most importantly trust themselves.

Coach B's holistic approach to coaching encompasses the entirety of each player's identity in order that they may realize their greatest potential as a player and more importantly as an individual as they move on to become a contributing member of society.

Thank you for this opportunity, and let's all recognize coach b's great work with a warm round of applause. Thank you.

So we're a little poorly scripted this morning. In the gallery, we have Matt Elliott, the athletic director for the University of Hawaii. Matt, if you'd stand up. Another person I'd like to recognize by name is Ryan Tanaka.

Among the many things he does, he has round table pizza, Giovanni pastrami, and started with coach Timmy Chang on what was referred to as the brotherhood grinds or how do we, you know, feed the student athletes at the University of Hawaii when they're not in season.

And, both coach Chang and Ryan realized that all of the sports need to be, supported and not just football. So there's the sisterhood grinds as well. But, Ryan, would you please stand? And then coach Beeman has a bunch of her staff and supporters. Will you please rise?

And I just briefly wanted to say two things. One, I think it was three years ago, I read where the University of Hawaii Wahine basketball program suffered their third and fourth season end ending injury to key players while on the road.

That Thursday, I went with several of my colleagues to watch the Wahinis play, and they got slaughtered. It was the worst game that they played not only that year, but maybe perhaps in all of coach Beeman's career.

And what I was fascinated by is that she was calm the whole time on the sidelines.

And often when things aren't going good, then it's easy to try to transfer your blame to someone else. And the easy way to transfer the blame is to start yelling at the players so the fans think that the players are not doing something right.

And it certainly wasn't the coach's fault because that's why she's screaming like a maniac on the sideline at her players. But that that isn't what happened. And I sent her a text that night to say that was really tough.

You know, better luck for the rest of the season. And her response was, we just need to get the chemistry right and this is gonna work. And they went on an incredible win streak after that loss wound up winning the Big West tournament and went to the NCAA after losing

four key players to season ending injuries that year. Their opening game in the NCAA's were against eventual national champions LSU with Angel Reese on that team.

And the University of Hawaii, Wahine held the LSU team to their lowest point total in the six games they played to win the NCAA championships.

And more famously, they played LSU closer than national runner-up Iowa who featured Caitlin Clark that year. And in seeing how she handled the adversity and how she got her team to respond made a lasting impression on me.

And if you Google her up, they don't list her family. So you gotta hit Laura Beeman family. But her mom and dad, the father is a retired pharmacist now.

But the search says that they recall fifteen to seventeen hours a day and oftentimes giving customers the medication for free if their insurance didn't cover it and serving the community.

Her mother worked with mastectomy patients and prosthetics and how to help coach the mental health. And when I first got to talk to her, she told me in 1992, just as she's starting on her coaching career, probably taking graduate studies, her family vacationed on Kauai.

Unfortunately, within the window of the vacation was the date September 11 when hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai. And she and her family went to Kauai Community Colleges disaster center.

Her father was helping with prescription drugs and other things. Her mother, her three siblings and herself were helping parents and watching children and doing all they could to help us recover.

And so it's no surprise to see what kind of individual she is, seeing the family that she was raised in, the values that are there.

And as great a coach as she is, I have attended several functions with her team where the life lessons and the message that she has delivered to them are gonna be something that will last with those young ladies for the rest of their life.

And I don't have my quote in front of me, but I think it was a bloom that said, it is not what you leave behind, but it's what you leave in somebody when you're gone.

And you have certainly left a lot in the hearts of all of your players and for our community. So thank you. We're gonna be done quick, and we'll adjourn. We'll congratulate you and take some pictures. So madam clerk.

Governor's message number 806 withdraws a nomination to the Hawaii teacher standards board.

Filed.

Beginning on page two, standing committee report numbers 3460 to 3505 for one day notice.

So ordered.

On page 15, Standing Committee Report number 3506, 3507 for adoption.

Senator Wakai.

Mr. President, I move for the adoption of Standing Committee Reports numbers 3506 and 3507

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.

Beginning on page 16, adoption of resolutions. Standing Committee Report numbers 3432 to 3459. Senate Concurrent Resolution 74, and Senate Resolution 68 for adoption.

Senator Wakai.

Mr. President, I move for the adoption of said Standing Committee Reports and Resolutions.

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. Said committee reports and resolutions have been adopted.

Referrals and re referrals.

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

No further business, Mr. President.

Are there any announcements today? Senator Dela Cruz first.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to request a waiver of the public notice requirement pursuing to Senate rule 21 to hold a hearing on house bill 2547 HD one. Your committee is requesting this waiver to meet the second decking deadline.

The waiver is granted. Senator Dela Cruz.

Thank you. Your committee on ways and means will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2547 HD one on Thursday, April 9 at 10:31 in Conference Room 211. The notice was filed in the clerk's office this morning.

And please continue, Senator Dela Cruz.

I also rise to request a waiver of the public notice requirement pursuant to Senate rule 21 to hold the decision making meeting on House Bill 1718 SD one. Your committee is requesting this waiver to meet the second decking deadline.

The waiver is granted. Senator Dela Cruz.

Thank you. Your committee on ways and means will hold a decision making meeting on House Bill 17 18 on Thursday, 04/09/1055 in Con Conference Room 211. The notice was filed in the clerk's office this morning. Thank you.

Senator Kidani, further announcements?

Thank you, Mr. President. May I be permitted late introduction?

Please proceed.

Colleagues this morning, I'm very honored to introduce to you our Senate majority communications director, Cheryl Turberville, who delivered this morning's moment of contemplation. Please stand, Cheryl.

Joining her in the gallery today is her husband, judge Fonga To'oto'o. Is he still here? Please stand. Thank you. Welcome to Hawaii State Senate.

Any further announcements? Senator San Buenaventura?

I'm sorry. I rise up for a point of personal privilege.

Please proceed.

I did not want to follow Senate President's, impassioned speech. I just wanted to point out I am one of many of the Wahine's basketball fans, and I have a name, image, likeness, example of coach Beeman with this bobblehead,

which I would like her to autograph at the end of the session. And I'd also like to remind senators of our clothing guide. Okay? So any used, gently used, or new, women's clothing, you can drop them off in my office because we will be, collecting them next week.

Thank you.

Thank you. Any further announcements? If not, the Chair has one. All majority senators, please report to the Majority Caucus Room immediately after session. Senator Wakai.

Go, Bose. I move that the Senate stand in recess, leaving the journal open until 8PM for the receipt of standing committee reports on Senate Concurrent Resolutions and Senate Resolutions to be placed on the calendar for adoption.

And I further move that the Senate reconvene at 11:30AM tomorrow.

Senator DeCorte.

Mr. President, I second the motion.

It's been moved and seconded. If there are no objections from the members, the Senate will stand in recess, leaving the journal open until 8PM, and will reconvene at 11:30AM tomorrow.