Aloha Friends,

For the 2007 Legislative Session, I enjoyed serving you and the State of Hawaii. I had a memorable experience being a member of Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say's leadership team, which includes Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell and Majority Floor Leader Blake K. Oshiro. It was a challenging legislation session for Speaker Say with his mother passing away in February and his father passing away in April. Through his strength in the past and during this legislative session, Speaker Say has taught me so much about government, business, community service, and life. I am honored to serve with him in public service.

I want to thank you for seeing me for who I am in my five years representing you in the Hawaii State House of Representatives. The legislature heard many controversial measures during this legislative session, and voting on these important issues was often extremely difficult. Although I carefully considered each decision before casting my vote, I know there were probably times when we could not agree on everything. Please know that I sincerely appreciate your continuing support. Thank you for considering my entire policy package and me as a person.

In 1995, when I was twenty years old, I imagined what I would do if I only had a limited time to live. On a personal level, a number of events deepened my commitment to public service. First, several female friends had shared with me their stories of domestic violence and sexual assault. Then my good friend Spencer was nearly killed in a shooting following an incident of road rage. My grandpa Tadao Sakai with whom I was very close suffered a stroke, which left him mentally disabled. Hawaii's economy was also in bad shape after the effects of the First Gulf war, and many residents were concerned about the cost of living. I tried to understand the constant suffering and struggle of many people throughout society. I studied hard and continued to stay active in the community. I created and implemented my seven year plan that year to run for the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002. Through politics, I realized I could touch all aspects of society and help so many people. I was determined to take all this negative energy and convert it into positive energy.

Therefore, in my time in public service, I want to do all I can to make our society better and our world more peaceful. It is for these reasons that I am a strong advocate of education, workforce development, crime prevention, technology, science, health, culture and the arts, and programs supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Focus on the positive things in life and cherish your loved ones. I wish you good health and happiness!

With Warmest Aloha,
Jon Riki Karamatsu
State Representative
41st District: Waikele, Royal Kunia, Village Park, Waipahu

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Representative Karamatsu Announces Funds for Waipahu
2007 Appropriation for Waipahu Projects: $238,309,000

Capital Improvement Projects for Schools and the University of Hawaii West Oahu: $139,259,000

• Honowai Elementary School: $2,274,000
• Kalei'opu'u Elementary School: $683,000
• Waikele Elementary School: $266,000
• Waipahu Intermediate School: $244,000
• Waipahu High School: $792,000
• University of Hawaii-West Oahu: $135,000,000

Capital Improvement Projects for Highways and Roads: $88,375,000

• Kamehameha Highway Improvements: $5,150,000
• Interstate H-1, Westbound Afternoon (P.M.) Zipperlane: $5,000,000
• East-West Collector Road in Kapolei: $17,225,000
• North/South Road, Kapolei Parkway to vicinity of Interstate Route H-1: $55,000,000
• Drying Bed Facilities: $6,000,000

State Agriculture Programs for Kunia and Ewa: $9,450,000

• Kunia and Ewa Agriculture Land Purchasing Program: $9,200,000
• Kunia Agricultural Park: $250,000

Waipahu Grant-In-Aid: $1,225,000

• American Box Car Racing International: $75,000
• Parents and Children Together Weed and Seed: $400,000
• Filipino Community Center, Inc.: $250,000
• Friends of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park: $250,000

• Waipahu United Church of Christ: $250,000

Representative Karamatsu's Peace Day Bill Enacted Into Law
I am happy to announce that my Peace Day Bill, House Bill 345 was signed into law as Act 23 by the Governor on April 18, 2007.  This bill establishes September 21 of each year as Peace Day to promote peace programs, improve international relations, and increase educational awareness of peace.  This designated day encourages citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace.

I introduced this bill after being approached by the Hawaii Federation of Junior Young Buddhist Association.  I was pleased to discover that the younger generation in Hawaii is interested in making our world more peaceful.  I chose September 21 to be Peace Day in Hawaii because it is the day recognized by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace.  Hawaii is the first state in the country to celebrate a Peace Day holiday.  The day will not be an officially recognized state holiday and will not carry any financial impact to the state.

I entered politics with dreams of making our state, nation, and world more peaceful.  If we all work towards this goal of a more peaceful world, we will see priceless results and touch many lives.

Rep. Karamatsu's Legislation Protects Hawaii's Valuable Agricultural Land in Kunia and Ewa
When I first entered the Hawaii State House of Representatives, one of my goals was to protect Hawaii's most valuable agricultural lands.  I believe Hawaii needs to be more self-sustainable by growing its own food. 

In 2005, I created a bill to preserve agricultural lands by authorizing the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) to purchase agricultural lands in Kunia and Ewa.  In addition, ADC would have the authority to lease ADC-controlled agricultural land to farmers.  The bill fell short from passing in the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions.

With patience and determination, I re-introduced the bill for the 2007 Legislative Session and this time was successful in passing the measure.  Senate Bill 837, the companion bill to my House Bill 337 passed the Hawaii State Legislature with a $9,200,000 appropriation to ADC to purchase agricultural land in Kunia and Ewa and lease it to farmers.  This program can later be expanded statewide.

Rep. Karamatsu's Bill Supports a Hawaii Renewable Energy Company
It is my goal to make Hawaii less reliant on fossil fuels and more self-sustainable through renewable energy.  This is an exciting time for Hawaii where companies in our state created by local residents are researching and developing technology to produce and store renewable energy.  One such company is Sopogy, Inc., which is developing clean electricity from a renewable and abundant resource, the sun, at a lower price than the market price and independent from oil price fluctuations.  Developing this kind of clean energy is in the best interest of the public.

I was happy to play a small role in assisting Sopogy, Inc. by introducing House Bill 334, authorizing the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds in an amount not exceeding $10,000,000 to assist the company with planning, designing, construction, equipping, and operating a solar farm power plant at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii or another suitable site in the state.  The bill passed the Hawaii State Legislature and is being reviewed by the Governor.  I look forward to the exciting work of Sopogy, Inc. as they help Hawaii and our world produce clean energy.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• June 8, 2007. Representative Karamatsu attended the Governor Lingle's press conference for the signing of three bills to promote innovation. (More)

• May 30, 2007. Representative Karamatsu named to Pacific Business News' Forty Under 40 list of Hawaii young business leaders. (More)
  
  
• May 15-19, 2007. Representative Karamatsu attended the National Conference of State Legislatures' "An Exclusive Meeting for Legislative Leaders" in Washington, D.C.

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