Year: 

46
Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley
Representative Amy Perruso is a longtime resident of District 46's beautiful Launani Valley and Wahiawā communities. A teacher at heart, her endeavor to educate our children has taken her around the world, from California to Shanghai to Finland and, finally, to the Hawai'i Department of Education, where she taught social studies for almost 20 years.

Representative Perruso previously served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association. She was also a member of Gov. David Ige's Every Student Succeeds Act Team, which crafted a blueprint for the future of Hawai'i's public schools.

Representative Perruso has been a Fulbright Scholar and finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year Award. When she's not working for her community, Representative Perruso enjoys preserving our 'āina, surfing, and spending time with her family.
Education
• Ph.D. in Political Science, UH Mānoa, awarded with distinction (2013)
• PBSCE-SS, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2000)
• Ph.D. program in Chinese History, University of California at Los Angeles (1992-1995)
• Fulbright Scholar, University of Helsinki, Finland (1990-1992)
• B.A. with Honors Political Science and East Asian Studies, (1986-1990)


Work
• Secretary-Treasurer, Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association (2015-2018)
• Social Studies Teacher, Mililani High School (2004-2016)
• Teacher, Kapolei Middle School, Kapolei (2002-2004)
• Teacher, Highlands Intermediate School, Pearl City (2001-2002)
• Service Industry Management (1998-2000)
• Teaching Assistant, University of California at Los Angeles (1994-1995)
• Visiting Lecturer, University of Helsinki, Finland (1991-1992)

• Co-founded Wahiawā Agricultural Association (2017)
• Founded Civic Educational Council (2016)
• Governor's ESSA Task Force-Sole Secondary Teacher (2016)
• James Madison Fellowship for American Constitutionalism (2015)
• Course Development Consultant for Hawaii DOE E-School (2014)
• Project Coordinator: Hawaiʻi State High School Legislative Internship (2013-2014)
• College Board Reader: U.S. Government and Politics A.P Exam (2008-2017)
• State Social Studies Content Panel (2012-2017)
• National Gilder-Lehrman Outstanding History Teacher Award Finalist (2012)
• Daughters of American Revolution History Teacher of the Year Award Hawaiʻi (2011)
• Kenneth Behring Outstanding History Day Teaching Award (2009)
• Hawaiʻi History Day Teacher of the Year (2009)
• Walmart/PDK Hawaiʻi Teacher of the Year (2007)
April 6, 2023

Lawmakers Are Keeping Pressure On DOE For School Meal Plans

Farmers and ranchers see an opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
For more, click here.
April 5, 2023

Lawmakers Are Keeping Pressure On DOE For School Meal Plans

House lawmakers are grilling the Department of Education for substantive detail on its plans for the school food system.

Senate and House lawmakers introduced concurrent resolutions this session requesting more information from DOE, particularly on how a proposed $35 million centralized kitchen in Wahiawa will help the department reach the target of 30% local food spending by 2030, as mandated in Acts 175 and 176 of 2021.
Lawmakers Are Keeping Pressure On DOE For School Meal Plans
March 29, 2023

Bills to transform Hawaii's school meals die in Senate

A handful of well- supported bills to transform student meals in Hawaii's public schools appears to be dead for this legislative session.

The bills aimed to provide cheaper and more locally sourced meals to the nearly 170,000 public and charter school students in Hawaii, although all appear to have been blocked in the state Senate Committee on Education.

A group of related bills, House Bills 247, 248, 249 and 250, would have addressed the various roadblocks to the DOE's Farm to School program, which was established within the state Department of Education in 2021 but is off to a slow start. House Bill 540 would have provided free meals to all enrolled public and charter school students during every school day.

The Senate's Education Committee deferred HB 247 March 20 and HB 540 on March 22. The other bills reportedly won't be scheduled for a hearing, effectively killing them for the session.

HB 247 would have required some state departments to procure 30% of their food locally by 2030 and require better reporting on the status of those goals. The 30% goal represents an increase for most of those departments, but it's been a requirement for the DOE since the signing of Act 175 in 2021.

Still, Sen. Michelle Kidani (D, Mililani Town-Waipio Gentry- Royal Kunia), Education Committee chair, decided to defer HB 247.

She said that there isn't enough time for the DOE — sometimes referred to as the state's largest restaurant because it serves about 100,000 meals per day — to source that much food locally by 2030.

"My dilemma is, I totally support the idea, but to ask the biggest restaurant in the state of Hawaii … I don't know how you could do that in seven years," Kidani told the DOE during the hearing for HB 247."My recommendation is going to be to defer, because this is such a big issue, and I don't think we've given you the proper amount of time."

The DOE reported that only 6.2% of the food it serves is sourced locally, and more than half of that is beef.

Kidani, who did not reply to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for comment for this story, then deferred HB 540 during a committee hearing March 22 after concerns were raised about how much the free meals would cost the state.

The DOE said in testimony that at its current 50% lunch participation rate at Hawaii public schools, HB 540 would cost $63.8 million Opens in a new tab. It said that if participation jumped to 75%, that cost would more than double to $137.9 million.

Sen. Donna Mercado Kim (D, Kalihi-Fort Shafter-Red Hill), the committee's vice chair, was concerned about the cost of the bill. She said the DOE's list of needs is long and that funding something like universal lunches would come at the cost of another need.

"Everybody comes in to speak on different bills that cost money, but when you look at the broad picture…there's concerns about having kids with all the school supplies that they need, having the transportation for our kids to get to the school," Kim said at the hearing. "Preschool, early education, early college, air conditioning in the classrooms — there's a lot of need…Should food be at the top of the list?"

Kim did not reply to a request for comment from the Star-Advertiser.

Most of those costs would fall on the state, said Randall Tanaka, assistant superintendent for DOE's Office of Facilities and Operations, during a hearing.

"There is evidence that a well-fed child is more productive, and the name of our game is to get them where they're well educated, they can critically think, and food is a critical part," he said. "It's a tough economic decision…I don't have an answer for that. I don't envy your positions for making this thing work."

The Education Department's cost estimate for HB 540 was significantly higher than the estimated $19 million-$44 million range that Hawaii Appleseed and other local organizations reported the free meals would cost the state, and this cost is anticipated to drop in 2024 following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's temporary reimbursement rate hike for operators of child nutrition programs in Hawaii.

The department said in an email statement to the Star-Advertiser, "Based on the total plate cost, including food, labor, and operations, minus the federal reimbursement, (the DOE) needs at least ($63.8 million) to fund this legislation at the current meal participation volume."

All the bills followed a similar trajectory: They originated in the House of Representatives, were supported heavily by the public and advocates for local agriculture and anti-hunger initiatives, and were opposed primarily by the DOE, which usually said the bills were difficult to implement, expensive or both.

Similarly, while Kidani and Kim both said they supported the ideas behind the deferred bills, they raised concerns about their practicality.

The death of the bills is a blow to those pointing to high rates of hunger among Hawaii's kids that aren't being addressed by current programs to properly feed them. Although nearly 1 in 3 children in Hawaii were food-insecure in 2020, according to a Feeding America report, fewer than 40% of Hawaii students who qualify for the national School Breakfast Program participated in it — the worst participation rate in the country.

Free and price-reduced lunches are already available for qualified students under the federal National School Lunch Program, but the income thresholds for the program omit families in Hawaii that earn too much for federal standards but not enough to live in Hawaii, where the cost of living is among the highest in the nation.

As many as 15,000 so-called "gap" students each year don't qualify for the program, but still struggle with food insecurity, the DOE reported.

Killing a bill like HB 540 based on cost alone is problematic, said Dennis Chase, program manager of the Hawaii Farm to School Hui.

"Many of the legislators and many of the people in the DOE are looking at it as one number, the percentage of the budget spent on locally grown or raised food, and how do we increase that one number by making as few changes as possible to the rest of our operation?" Chase said.

"I think Farm to School specifically — and food systems and food security in Hawaii in general — is so much bigger, so much wider than just that one number," he added.

Proponents of the DOE's Farm to School program hope it will provide healthier and more locally produced food to kids while also giving the state's smallest farmers a consistent market to sell their produce.

Tanaka and the DOE have shown little interest in the program and have pushed the construction of centralized kitchens to feed students and reach the DOE's 30% local food procurement goal by 2030.

Why Kidani has not scheduled hearings for the other Farm to School bills is unclear, but some suggest that the Senate's members trust in the DOE's leadership on an issue that they didn't prioritize this session.

"My sense was that there wasn't a lot of energy focused on that. … Maybe they just don't think food security is a priority," said Rep. Amy Perruso (D, Wahiawa-Whitmore Village- Mokuleia), primary author of the Farm to School bills. "I didn't really hear an explanation from them during the hearing about why they're not hearing the other bills."

The department, meanwhile, for years has been a source of frustration for local farming and healthy-food advocates as well as key lawmakers in the House like Perruso.

Perruso, other House members and advocates have repeatedly asked Tanaka and the DOE as a whole to communicate better with them, to publicly release detailed plans to reach their local food procurement goals and data on their progress, although they say the department continues to leave them in the dark. For more, click here.

March 26, 2023

Editorial: Massive law-enforcement training center excessive

Where land is a precious commodity, as it is statewide and certainly on Oahu, decisions about how to use as much as 243 acres demand intense scrutiny.

Of all the possible uses for that much state-owned land on the Central Oahu plain — housing springs to mind, as well as agriculture — creating a massive, $315 million compound for first-responder training and technology surely must fall far down on the list.

Except, it doesn't. There has been now a years-long push for what's been dubbed the the First Responder Technology Campus on that much acreage near Mililani that would house operations and training facilities for 19 federal, state and county agencies.

The campus is vastly oversized, with every bell and whistle, including those that are plainly excessive. This is a time when the state needs to reinvest in the maintenance of its existing infrastructure (think: Hawai'i Convention Center), and there are many other higher-priority and expensive new projects in the mill.

Instead, the campus conceptual plan includes, in addition to training facilities, an auditorium, retail space, fitness center, apartments, a cafeteria with kitchen staff, a community center and a 150-bed hotel.

Preposterous.

Arguably some of the client agencies, such as the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, need a new site and could be provided that home on part of the land, which the state purchased from developer Castle & Cooke in 2017. This could proceed as a project right-sized to fit actual needs and requirements. The Office of Enterprise Technology Services manages data servers in a flood-prone basement that could use a relocation, to name another example.

But that's not what's proposed here. The completed campus is envisioned as costing from $315 million to $470 million, to be built out over 15 years in six phases. This session, the state Senate has taken the opportunity of a state budgetary surplus to support locking in $100 million for it now.

However, the state lacks commitment to the plan from all of the agencies that its official sponsor, the Hawaii Technology Development Corp., wants to put there. The Honolulu Police Department, most notably, is flatly unwilling to pledge its own resources to the project.

Fortunately, there's now some significant pushback from the state House on this idea, which last week was moving through the chamber as Senate Bill 1469. First the Water and Land Committee crossed out the $100 million, leaving the amount blank but suggesting that the House Finance Committee consider allotting only half as much.

Even more forcefully, state Rep. Amy Perruso, who chairs the Higher Education and Technology Committee and took custody of the measure next, decided to call the whole thing off. Friday was the "second lateral" deadline, when all bills being heard by more than one committee must move to the last one — the Finance panel, in this case. Perruso held it instead, rightly.

While the bill itself appears to be dead for the session, the plan could still advance if one of its key supporters in Senate leadership — including the Ways and Means Committee chair, state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz — gets the money inserted into the overall state budget, moving separately.

Ironically, both Dela Cruz and Perruso represent the area proposed for the campus, advocating for opposite ends. Their constituents need to make their concerns known.

Perruso has reached the correct conclusion. There's too much unsettled about this whole scheme to make this kind of investment. An environmental impact statement has been published but, Perruso said, the state Land Use Commission hasn't flashed any green lights. The acreage is still zoned for agriculture, and would need reclassification by the LUC.

"It's really 'cart before the horse,'"she said Friday in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Of course, stopping the whole horse-and-cart combo in its tracks would be the best outcome, or at least scaling it down drastically.

Then the cost of fitting the property with the needed utility hookups and service road, the main purpose of the $100 million being sought, might be a lot less, Perruso said. She pointed to a 2021 alternative site study identifying locations with more of the infrastructure in place.

At the House Water and Land Committee hearing, HPD Maj. Stephen Silva voiced "concerns" about HPD's lack of funding to pay its share for the infrastructure and upkeep of the campus; further, it already has the "training facility, indoor firing range, emergency vehicle operation training track, helicopter hangar and technology storage facilities this bill proposes to create."

So, what's the point of this, again?

The EIS argues, weakly, that developing separate projects as needed would cost more in cash and effort and provide fewer jobs, and that delay will mean continued deterioration of aging facilities. Nonsense. The state could step up instead and do the needed upgrades, and at a more rational scale.

The state is flush with cash now, but that won't last long. Critical improvements deserve the funding now. This technology-campus boondoggle? It is not what Hawaii needs. For more, click here.

March 24, 2023

Call 911: The First Responders Park Bill Is Dying

Rep. Amy Perruso says she won't advance a bill to fund the state's first responders campus amid questions about the project's relevance. For more, click here.

March 1, 2023

Bills to improve DOE's Farm to School program moving forward

A host of bills moving through the state Legislature represent the latest effort in an ongoing movement to bring healthier, locally sourced meals to Hawaii's public schools.

So far the measures have received waves of support — except from the state's public school system.

Under Act 175, which became law in 2021, the state Department of Education is required by 2030 to locally source 30% of the food it serves at Hawaii's public schools, and to implement what's known as the Farm to School program to improve the health of the state's children while supporting local farmers.

This year state lawmakers, supporters of farming and anti-hunger advocates hope to expedite Farm to School, centering their efforts around House Bills 247 Opens in a new tab, 248 Opens in a new tab, 249 Opens in a new tab and 250 Opens in a new tab — all co-introduced by Rep. Amy Perruso (D, Wahiawa-Whitmore Village-Mokuleia).

"The idea behind this suite of bills is to provide the department with the support they need," Perruso said in an interview with the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser.

"The intent is to get more local, fresh, healthy, nutritional food on our kids' plates," said Perruso.

The bills aim to tackle a swath of problems with Farm to School, and would include increasing the percentage of local food that the DOE has to purchase; decentralizing the Farm to School program to give complex-area superintendents more control over it; separating the Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs Agency from the DOE and giving the agency more of the Farm to School workload; and incorporating a federal "geographic preference" for food procurement within the DOE.

The first two annual Farm to School reports by the DOE to the state Legislature didn't show much progress made in the program since its launch.

The department was rebuked for submitting a vague, two-page report to lawmakers prior to the 2022 session with no data on the program or a plan going forward. This year the department submitted a three-page report to the state Legislature that was viewed as a marginal improvement but was still light on details about how the DOE will reach its mandated "30 by 30" goal.

This year's report did note that 6.2% of the department's purchased food was locally sourced in 2022. It also listed a lack of consistent supply of locally grown food, the cost of that food, and inadequate cafeteria staff training as challenges to the Farm to School program.

Some of the reporting issues could be alleviated under HB 247, which would, in part, expand reporting requirements of the DOE and other state departments with local food procurement goals. It also establishes a farm-to-state liaison in the governor's office to "facilitate with reporting requirements and procurement of locally grown food."

The DOE has been resistant to the proposed decentralization of school kitchens that the Farm to School program and the bills going through the state Legislature this year would bring.

Instead, the department has been committed to building centralized kitchens to feed students, although it hasn't provided much clarity to lawmakers about how its own plans will provide healthier, locally produced food to students.

Randall Tanaka, assistant superintendent for DOE's Office of Facilities and Operations and lead for the Farm to School program, said Thursday during a House Committee on Finance hearing on HB 248 that it will take 2-1/2 years to finish a $35 million-$40 million centralized kitchen in Wahiawa. Tanaka hasn't, however, offered a clear picture of how the kitchen will help the DOE reach its Act 175 goals.

Lawmakers and advocates alike have said that a lack of communication about what the DOE is doing or what it needs is preventing them from assisting.

Perruso, in a House Committee on Education hearing for HB 248 on Feb. 9, said she has never received a plan from Tanaka about the centralized kitchens and the DOE's Farm to School plan and was "pleading" with him to provide one.

"There are so many really dedicated advocates working on this issue. They're just waiting to support your work, but it's a mystery as to the direction that you're headed," Perruso told him.

In her interview with the Star-Advertiser on Saturday, Perruso said she had yet to receive a plan from the DOE.

The DOE, in a response to the Star-Advertiser, did not provide a plan about its centralized kitchens, saying in an email that "the centralized kitchen concept is only in the early planning stages, so there are no construction timetables yet."

Act 175 also established within the DOE a Farm to School coordinator — an employee dedicated to facilitating the program. Tanaka said he hasn’t filled that position since it was established in 2021 because the department still needs to rework the job description.

"We're redefining what that role is. My goal is to have that person as the food buyer," Tanaka said Thursday during a House Committee on Finance hearing for HB 248.

But the stall in hiring has been problematic, and HB 249 would attempt to address that by establishing Farm to School positions and moving some of the program work within the Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs Agency and away from the DOE.

Testimony for the bills through the first five weeks of the session have been largely supportive. Hundreds of pages of written testimony, from advocates of anti-hunger policies to farming organizations to health-focused groups, show they want the measures to move forward.

The general belief is that they would be good for students and give small farms in Hawaii an opportunity to sell their fruit and vegetables to individual DOE schools. The department as a whole serves more than 100,000 meals per day and is sometimes referred to as the state's biggest restaurant.

The DOE's centralized kitchen plan would favor Hawaii's biggest farms because centralization works better with growers of large quantities of produce, opponents say.

"The central kitchens don't preclude us from reaching the goal of 30% — they kind of emphasize a different way of doing it," said Dennis Chase, program manager of the Hawaii Farm to School Hui." The biggest farms in the state will get those contracts...Other farms, even if they have the desire or they want to be involved, there's a lot of infrastructure they would need before they can do that."

The DOE has expressed concern over the proposed measures.

For HB 248, it said in written testimony that decentralizing the Farm to School program would be burdensome to complex-area superintendents, and for HB 249 it said the concern is about unforeseen impacts to federal funding that could come from moving the Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs Agency away from the DOE.

It is also said that purchasing from the smallest farms in Hawaii would be more expensive and would prove a challenge when it comes to food safety requirements.

Tanaka said small, local farms are also difficult to rely on when it comes to consistently providing large quantities of produce to individual schools, an argument the DOE made against both HB 247 and 249.

"That's why we're working on the centralized kitchen," Tanaka told lawmakers at Thursday's hearing on HB 248. "Independent purchasing does not give us the consistency of purchasing across the board."

But advocates say the DOE needs to provide a list of needs first, and farmers can scale up from there.

Hawaii Farm Bureau's Executive Director Brian Miyamoto, during the hearing, said, "We want to know what the DOE would like our farmers to grow so they can scale up, so they can plan."

Matt Johnson, CEO of the Oahu Fresh Food Hub, said approved contracts for food need to be in place before farmers will be interested. Otherwise it's too risky for them.

"Farms have to put all the investment upfront — they have to buy the seeds, they have to prepare the land — so all the liability is on the farm," he told the Star-­Advertiser.

Other Farm to School advocates have refuted the DOE's argument that local farmers can't supply enough fruit and vegetables to meet its needs, saying instead that local farmers are producing more than enough.

Perruso said the future of the DOE's Farm to School program doesn't have to consist of strictly decentralized or centralized kitchens, but it needs to be decided using good policies, transparency and evidence-­based approaches.

HB 248 and 250 were heard and passed the House Committee on Finance last week. HB 247 and 249 have been scheduled for a Thursday hearing by the committee, which they need to pass through this week in order to continue on. For more, click here.

February 3, 2023

Want To Give Our Kids A Future? Change The Way We Tax Wealth

Enhanced revenue should come from those who can afford to pay more including large corporations and out-of-state investors. For more, click here.

January 25, 2023

Rep. Amy Perruso: Don't Underestimate How Important Reform Is To The Public

This lawmaker hopes citizens will seize the moment and testify in support of dozens of measures to make state government more transparent and accountable. Click here to view the full article.

January 23, 2023

Rep. Amy Perruso: Don't Underestimate How Important Reform Is To The Public

This lawmaker hopes citizens will seize the moment and testify in support of dozens of measures to make state government more transparent and accountable. For more, click here.

May 6, 2022

Rep. Amy Perruso: A Vision For Feeding Hawaii

Food touches the environment, economy, public health, community well-being and so much more. For more, click here.

February 19, 2021

Embattled Agribusiness Corporation has powerful friends



Perusso pointed out that the ADC is not merely an obscure entity attached to the Department of Agriculture. The corporation has the power to acquire and develop lands for agriculture, and to that end the Legislature in recent years has appropriated more than a quarter of a billion dollars to the ADC, including about $23.4 million for operations and $238 million for capital investments. Despite such large investments, it has been difficult for lawmakers and the public to see how the money has been spent and how well the corporation has been fulfilling its mission. Read more: Click here.

September 29, 2020

Ongoing Controversy About Reopening Schools



Much has fluctuated in the last six months. But as tensions flare over the best instructional model during a pandemic and scrutiny mounts over what some call“unclear, inconsistent" policies issued by state education leaders, the question remains: did the state Department of Education do all that it could to smartly plan for the transition from spring to fall? Included in the guidance is a chart indicating when it is safe to bring elementary or secondary students back to school based on the number of cases per 10,000 people over a 14-day period. Already, the metrics are drawing fierce pushback [citing article written by Rep. Perruso) from educators and union officials. For more: Click here.


September 7, 2020

New Agency Will Take Over Public School Construction in Hawaii



The bill passed with near unanimous support at the Legislature, with just one dissenting vote in the House, from Rep. Amy Perruso, (D, Wahiawa-Whitmore Village), a veteran public school teacher. "This is just one more effort to privatize the public sphere," Perruso said Wednesday. "I feel like we have gutted public agencies, defunded them since 2008 or even earlier, and then we're surprised when they can't do their jobs." For more: Click here.


September 7, 2020

Hawaii DOE's Distance Learning Tool 'Very, Very Questionable’



The comments are included in an internal DOE document entitled "HIDOE Online Content Review" that was shared in a Facebook post Sunday by state Rep. Amy Perruso, a longtime educator. "It seems to me, as someone who has participated in curriculum and standards review processes, that this is not a thorough vetting (the specialists only look at a few select lessons in specific elementary courses) AND that the feedback provided to the superintendent in no way recommended adoption," Perruso stated in the post. For more: Click here.


September 7, 2020

Lawmakers, Union Officials Are Pushing Back Against State Pay Cuts



Lawmakers who work on education issues are also concerned about cuts to teacher and staff pay. House Rep. Amy Perruso, a teacher at Mililani High who represents Wahiawa, said this move was " really premature" and reflected "unbelievably poor leadership." "It's just ridiculous, unless their intention is to actually gut state government," she said. "I don't think they really have a sense of what our financial situation will look like. We haven't seen all those monies flow into state coffers yet." For more: Click here.


September 6, 2020

Military Won't Say How Many Coronavirus Cases in Hawaii



On March 21, when U.S. Army Hawaii had four positive COVID-19 cases, the command emphasized during its nightly Facebook "town hall" update its intent to "continue to be as transparent as possible." There is a growing call for a return to greater transparency based on the need to address COVID-19 comprehensively. The Hawaii military numbers should be made public "because that's how we're quantifying what we're doing," said state Rep. Amy Perruso."That's how we're looking at the curve — and if their (military) curve is spiking, we need to know that. It's not fair to leave us in the dark about the impact" that the..


September 6, 2020

DOE Will Increase Meals To Meet High Demand



DOE officials acknowledge meal shortages at some sites. New sites will help alleviate that, they said.

The Hawaii Department of Education is adding three more school meal distribution sites to its regular rotation next week to meet rising demand during extended school closures due to coronavirus. Starting Monday, Ka'ala Elementary and Kipapa Elementary on Oahu and Lokelani Elementary on Maui will serve free breakfast and lunch to kids 18 and under, bringing the number of school sites serving free meals to kids to 41 from 38. For more: Click here.


September 7, 2020

Community Groups Offer Free Lunch To Kids



The grab-and-go meals at a handful of sites around Oahu are supplementing the DOE's own meal service which began this week while schools are closed. Several nonprofits and child advocacy organizations banded together to offer free lunches to kids 18 and under during this time of unplanned school closures because of the coronavirus outbreak.Some are worried the DOE-distributed free breakfasts and meals are not enough. On Tuesday morning, House Rep. Amy Perruso posted on her Facebook page that Leilehua High in Wahiawa "looked like it was going to run out of food for the second day in a row." "We know we have kids in Lakeview Circle and Whitmore who will not be able to walk in rain for school meal," she wrote."We need to figure out how to serve the most vulnerable."


September 5, 2020

State Faces More Challenges Clearing Mass Dumping Ground in Wahiawa



Ken Nakamoto "received reports that individuals are entering on foot through remote areas of the 230 acre parcel. They are mainly looking for anything of value that they can salvage." "It's also my understanding that people are continuing to try to go back onto the property to try to get back cars that may still be running," Perruso explained. Perruso said she's not surprised people keep going back. "I think it's understandable that for some period of time we're going to have some struggles around that. It's not a once and done situation." For more: Click here


September 5, 2020

Movement Aimed to Change Political Landscape to a Future Rooted in Aloha Aina



State Representative Amy Perruso says she is inspired by their message. She introduced legislation last session that would put a moratorium on development on Mauna Kea higher than 6,000 feet, which would also halt the Thirty Meter Telescope. "To stop and take stock of what we're doing and to really reconsider whether this is the wisest way we want to move forward with our very precious lands," Representative Amy Perruso said. The bill is still on the table this year, but it won't move forward unless it's scheduled for a hearing. That is why Perruso says it's important for people in the movement to keep up the pressure. For more: Click here

May 8, 2019

Wahiawa General Hospital to Launch ‘Stabilization Program’ for Mental Health



Wahiawa General Hospital is teaming up with the state to offer mental health servivces to high-needs patients, especially the close to 600 homeless people suffering from severe mental illness across the Hawai'i. Hundreds more are struggling with substance addiction.

The hospital is planning to repurpose unused space on its second floor for the program, creating around 40 beds for people in need of mental health and substance abuse treatment. Advocates hope the program will deliver the mental health and addicition services that houseless individuals and families need to obtain permanent shelter and financial security.

For more, see: STABILIZATION PROGRAM.

March 29, 2019

Whitmore Community Food Hub Complex Enviromental Assessment Is Open For Comment

A Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) for the Whitmore Community Food Hub Complex has been prepared pursuant to the State of Hawai‘i EIS law (Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, Chapter 343) and the State of Hawai‘i EIS rules (Hawai‘i Administrative Rules, Title 11, Chapter 200).

To submit a comment regarding the Whitmore Community Food Hub Complex, please provide your contact information and enter comments at the link below. Contact information is necessary to ensure that you receive a response to your feedback. Comments are due by April 22, 2019.

Read the Whitmore Community Food Hub Complex DEA: CLICK LINK.
Comment on the DEA: CLICK LINK.

March 27, 2019

Rep. Amy Perruso Supports Hotel Workers Call for Respect From Management

DoubleTree by Hilton Alana Waikiki Beach hotel workers organized a public action in their hotel lobby in early March, demanding respect from management, safe workloads, and a fair process to decide whether to unionize.

Rep. Amy Perruso, a long labor leader, said, "I think all workers have the right to unionize and are better off if they’re unionized. It’s important to me that there be a fair process for these workers to decide whether to unionize, that there not be any retaliation against the workers. The community is committed to making sure that all workers are fairly supported,” said State Representative Amy Perruso."

See here for more: Hotel Workers.

November 27, 2018

Climate Action Plan Public Meeting Series (Central O'ahu)

The Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency invite you to the Climate Action Plan Public Meeting Series (Central O'ahu) on Wednesday, December 12, 7:00pm at the Mililani High School Cafeteria. For more information visit: https://bit.ly/2FGOw2n.

Hurricane Lane and Olivia show that climate change is already having profound impacts on O'ahu and we need to chart a new path.What is your vision for a resilient, fossil fuel free future for our island?

We invite you to learn about O'ahu's first climate action plan, engage in a "game" that helps kick-start a discussion about how best to cut our emissions, and chart the next steps for our island.
2021 Committee Member of
 Measures Introduced in 2021
Measure and Title
HB2
RELATING TO PAID SICK LEAVE.
HB3
RELATING TO REVENUE GENERATION.
HB4
RELATING TO THE MINIMUM WAGE.
HB5
RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE.
HB6
RELATING TO GREEN FEES.
HB7
RELATING TO MARIJUANA.
HB8 HD1
RELATING TO FOOD SECURITY.
HB9
RELATING TO ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION.
HB10 HD1
RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
HB11 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
HB32 HD1
RELATING TO ANIMAL FUR PRODUCTS.
HB35
RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
HB46 HD1
RELATING TO WILDLIFE.
HB72 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO ELECTRIC FOOT SCOOTERS.
HB73 HD2 SD1 CD1
RELATING TO EMERGENCY WORKERS.
HB74
RELATING TO RESTRICTIONS ON AGRICULTURAL USES AND ACTIVITIES.
HB76
RELATING TO COUNTIES.
HB78 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO THE UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES.
HB79 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO HOUSING.
HB80 HD1 SD1 CD1
RELATING TO THE LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT.
HB83
RELATING TO INTERNET SERVICES.
HB94
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
HB95 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES FOR NATURAL RESOURCES.
HB96 HD1
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS.
HB98 HD2
RELATING TO AQUATIC RESOURCES.
HB99
RELATING TO THE CLEAN WATER ACT.
HB100 HD1
RELATING TO INSPECTION FEES.
HB101
RELATING TO TORT LIABILITY.
HB102 HD1
RELATING TO SUNSCREENS.
HB112
RELATING TO WASTEWATER SYSTEMS.
HB114
RELATING TO CESSPOOL CONVERSION.
HB123
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 4, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS.
HB124
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
HB225 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO BULLYING.
HB226
RELATING TO FAIR DIGITAL ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT REPAIR.
HB227 HD2
RELATING TO HEALTH.
HB235
RELATING TO SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM INCENTIVES.
HB236
RELATING TO COFFEE PEST CONTROL.
HB238
RELATING TO CANNABIS.
HB239 HD1
RELATING TO CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS.
HB240 HD1
RELATING TO A BANK OF THE STATE OF HAWAII.
HB243 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION.
HB244 HD1 SD1 CD1
RELATING TO LAND RECORDATION.
HB247 SD2
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
HB282 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO MINORS.
HB291
RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
HB292
RELATING TO TAX AMNESTY.
HB293
RELATING TO POLLING PLACES.
HB294
RELATING TO INTOXICANTS.
HB295
RELATING TO IMPACT FEES.
HB297
RELATING TO LABOR.
HB322
RELATING TO MANUFACTURING.
HB327 HD2
RELATING TO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
HB328 HD2
RELATING TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
HB331 HD1
RELATING TO THE STATE PLAN.
HB384
RELATING TO TELEHEALTH.
HB385
RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.
HB386
RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.
HB388
RELATING TO PLANNED COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS.
HB389 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HB418
RELATING TO MINORS.
HB419
RELATING TO CHILDREN.
HB420
RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
HB421
RELATING TO AN ADVISORY REFERENDUM ON CANNABIS IN HAWAII.
HB422
RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.
HB432 HD1
RELATING TO THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT.
HB438
RELATING TO EXTERNAL CONTRACTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
HB439
RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF TENANTS.
HB440
RELATING TO TAXATION.
HB441
RELATING TO TAX HAVEN ABUSE.
HB442
RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS.
HB443 HD1
RELATING TO SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAMS.
HB444
PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLES VIII AND X OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO AUTHORIZE THE LEGISLATURE TO ESTABLISH A SURCHARGE TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.
HB445 HD1
RELATING TO INCREASING THE ESTATE TAX.
HB448
RELATING TO VIOLATION OF PRIVACY.
HB449
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO AMEND THE QUALIFYING AGE OF VOTERS FOR ANY STATE OR LOCAL ELECTION.
HB450
RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE.
HB451
RELATING TO CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE.
HB452
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
HB453
RELATING TO CHILDREN.
HB460
RELATING TO A CARBON TAX.
HB461 HD1
RELATING TO COFFEE LABELING.
HB462
RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY.
HB463
RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
HB464
RELATING TO STREAM PROTECTION.
HB484
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.
HB487
RELATING TO HEALTH.
HB488
RELATING TO INSPECTIONS OF CARE FACILITIES.
HB489
RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE.
HB490 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO CRIMES AGAINST SENIORS.
HB491
RELATING TO SERVICES FOR KUPUNA.
HB522
RELATING TO CORAL.
HB523
RELATING TO PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
HB538
RELATING TO FARM ANIMALS.
HB543
RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT.
HB544 HD1
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AT MAUNA KEA ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII.
HB545 HD1
RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT.
HB549
RELATING TO MEASUREMENT STANDARDS.
HB550 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
HB551 HD1
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO GUARANTEE ALL INDIVIDUALS THE RIGHT TO HAVE A CLEAN AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
HB552 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
HB553 HD2 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF SHARKS.
HB554 HD2
RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS.
HB555 HD1
RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.
HB556 HD2
RELATING TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
HB557 HD1
RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
HB558 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO CLEAN ENERGY FINANCING.
HB559 HD1
RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.
HB562 HD1
RELATING TO BOTTLED WATER.
HB563
RELATING TO SEX OFFENDERS.
HB564
RELATING TO BREAST CANCER SCREENING.
HB565 HD1
RELATING TO DIVORCE.
HB566 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO ABUSE OF FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS.
HB567 HD1
RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT.
HB568
RELATING TO SEX TRAFFICKING.
HB569 HD2
RELATING TO VICTIM-COUNSELOR PRIVILEGE.
HB571 HD2
RELATING TO CHILDLIKE SEX DOLLS.
HB600
RELATING TO THE MINIMUM WAGE.
HB601 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO THE TRAFFIC CODE.
HB603
RELATING TO THE MINIMUM WAGE.
HB606 HD1 SD2
AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
HB608 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
HB609 HD1
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
HB610
RELATING TO GARDENS.
HB611 HD1
RELATING TO EDUCATION FUNDING.
HB612 HD1
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
HB690 HD1
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X, SECTION 1, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO REQUIRE THAT THE STATEWIDE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM BE THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT.
HB691
RELATING TO CAMPUS SAFETY.
HB692
RELATING TO SEX TRAFFICKING PREVENTION.
HB693
RELATING TO MAUNA KEA.
HB694
RELATING TO TARO.
HB702 HD2
RELATING TO FARM TO SCHOOL PROCUREMENT.
HB703
RELATING TO MAUNA KEA.
HB704
RELATING TO PROCUREMENT.
HB705
RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FORTY-SIXTH REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT.
HB706 HD1
RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS TO ASSIST WAHIAWA GENERAL HOSPITAL.
HB767 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO THE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM.
HB770 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO HEALTH.
HB771 HD1
RELATING TO LIQUOR.
HB781
RELATING TO STUDENT JOURNALISM.
HB783
RELATING TO THE UNIFORM PROBATE CODE.
HB784
RELATING TO TRESPASS.
HB786
RELATING TO THE FOOD WASTE RECYCLING.
HB794
RELATING TO ONLINE ACCOUNT PRIVACY.
HB795
RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
HB796 HD2
RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AND COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER DEATHS.
HB797
RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS.
HB798
RELATING TO GRANTS.
HB801 HD1
RELATING TO MOPEDS.
HB802
RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
HB803 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
HB804
RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
HB805
RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
HB812 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO TRAUMA-INFORMED EDUCATION.
HB815
RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
HB816
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
HB817 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
HB823 HD1
RELATING TO PUBLIC LAND LIABILITY.
HB826 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO ELECTRONIC SMOKING DEVICES.
HB827
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
HB828
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LOANS.
HB829
RELATING TO A FOOD HUB PILOT PROGRAM.
HB830
RELATING TO THE IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL LAND QUALIFIED AGRICULTURAL COST TAX CREDIT.
HB831
RELATING TO PESTICIDES.
HB842 HD1
RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.
HB843
RELATING TO FILM TAX CREDIT EXTENSION.
HB856 HD1
RELATING TO WASTE MANAGEMENT.
HB857
RELATING TO RENTALS OF MOPEDS AND MOTOR SCOOTERS.
HB858
RELATING TO ELECTRIC HYDROFOIL SURFBOARDS.
HB859
RELATING TO GOVERNMENT DATA MODERNIZATION.
HB860 HD1
RELATING TO ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATION.
HB861
RELATING TO COMPOSTING.
HB865 HD1
RELATING TO THE STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION.
HB866
RELATING TO MEDICAID BENEFITS.
HB867
RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.
HB1080 HD1
RELATING TO THE PHASEOUT OF PRIVATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
HB1081 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO SIDEWALKS.
HB1082 HD1
RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
HB1083
RELATING TO THE LAW OF THE SPLINTERED PADDLE.
HB1084
RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
HB1087
RELATING TO ANIMAL CRUELTY.
HB1088 HD3 SD2
RELATING TO COSMETICS.
HB1096 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO PARENTAGE.
HB1103
RELATING TO PUBLIC BANKING.
HB1104
RELATING TO GAMBLING.
HB1105 HD1
RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BOARD OF REGENTS CANDIDATE ADVISORY COUNCIL.
HB1123
RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT.
HB1124 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT.
HB1130 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
HB1132 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO HOUSING.
HB1133
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
HB1140 HD1
RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
HB1141 HD1
RELATING TO ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES.
HB1142 HD2 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO ENERGY.
HB1143 HD1
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.
HB1148 HD1
RELATING TO LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES.
HB1150
RELATING TO FISHING.
HB1175
RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
HB1177
RELATING TO TAX CREDITS.
HB1178
RELATING TO TAX CREDITS.
HB1191 HD2 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE.
HB1202
RELATING TO CANNABIS.
HB1203
RELATING TO TAXATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIERS.
HB1205
RELATING TO SUSTAINABLE INVESTING.
HB1206
RELATING TO FOOD SECURITY.
HB1226
RELATING TO VIOLATION OF PRIVACY.
HB1227
RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES.
HB1228
RELATING TO MOTOR CARRIER PENALTIES.
HB1231
RELATING TO VITAL STATISTICS.
HB1234
RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
HB1235
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
HB1236
RELATING TO THE TRANSITION OF THE OAHU REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FROM THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
HB1239
RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
HB1240
RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
HB1246 HD2
RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
HB1268
RELATING TO INCOME TAX.
HB1269
RELATING TO WAGE GARNISHMENT.
HB1270
RELATING TO TAXATION.
HB1271
RELATING TO THE AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
HB1276 HD1 SD1 CD1
RELATING TO STATE PARKS.
HB1277
RELATING TO AN OFFICE OF THE HOUSING ADVOCATE.
HB1289
RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS TO ASSIST HK MANAGEMENT, LLC.
HB1293
RELATING TO REMOTE WORK.
HB1305
RELATING TO WASTE MANAGEMENT.
HB1308 HD1
RELATING TO JUNETEENTH DAY.
HB1319 HD1
RELATING TO CARBON PRICING.
HB1324 HD2 SD1
RELATING TO COMMERCIAL PROPERTY RENT RELIEF.
HB1325 HD1
RELATING TO THE PROCUREMENT CODE.
HB1326 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
HB1328
RELATING TO ELECTRONIC SMOKING DEVICES.
HB1330
RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
HB1331
RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
HB1343
RELATING TO FARM DWELLINGS.
HB1345
RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES.
HB1349 HD1
RELATING TO STATEWIDE COMPOSTING.
HB1351 HD1
RELATING TO CONSERVATION MITIGATION BANKS.
HB1352 HD1 SD2 CD1
RELATING TO SURPLUS MILITARY LAND.
HB1353
RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS.
HB1361
RELATING TO FIRE SAFETY.
HB1363
RELATING TO SHORELINES.
HB1364
RELATING TO HEMP.
HB1365
RELATING TO MARINE LIFE.
HB1373
RELATING TO COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT.
HB1387
RELATING TO PUBLIC HOUSING.
HB1389
RELATING TO THE HAWAII CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM OVERSIGHT COMMISSION.
HCR6
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MANDATE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO HOLD QUARTERLY TOWN HALLS TO RECEIVE CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
HCR7 HD1
URGING THE LEGISLATURE TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS RAISED AT THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUMMIT AND ADVANCE PATHWAYS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE HOMELESS IN THE STATE.
HCR8 HD2
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ELEVATE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS BY EXPANDING ACCESS TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL CLASSES THAT FULFILL CORE REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HCR9
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AS A STRATEGY FOR INCREASING ACCESS TO A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION.
HCR10
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS TO COMBAT COVID19 LEARNING LOSS.
HCR11 HD1 SD1
REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY MISSING AND MURDERED NATIVE HAWAIIAN WOMEN AND GIRLS.
HCR12 HD1
CONVENING A TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS IMPLEMENTATION OF HAWAII'S STATE LAW COROLLARY TO TITLE IX TO STRENGTHEN HAWAII'S EFFORTS TO END CAMPUS-BASED SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION.
HCR43 HD1
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES TO WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO ENSURE THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT MANNER TO ADDRESS NECESSARY RENOVATIONS OF THE HAWAII STATE CAPITOL REFLECTING POOL.
HCR51
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO CREATE A MODEL STATEWIDE SCHOOL POLICY ON STUDENT SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND POSTVENTION IN GRADES K-12.
HCR52 HD1
REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO ASSESS WHETHER STATE AGENCIES' ANTI-BULLYING POLICIES AND RECORDS OF INCIDENCES OF BULLYING ARE PROPERLY UPDATED AND EFFECTIVELY UTILIZED.
HCR53
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASS SIZES.
HCR54
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCREASE ACCESS TO ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HCR55 HD1
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REDUCE THE USE OF STANDARDIZED TESTING IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM.
HCR56
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE POTENTIAL REVENUE TO BE GENERATED FOR THE STATE THROUGH THE LEGALIZATION AND REGULATION OF RECREATIONAL CANNABIS.
HCR57 HD1
URGING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL FEMINIST ECONOMIC RECOVERY WORKING GROUP.
HCR58 HD1
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT THE PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2021 AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE.
HCR60 HD1
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO REDUCE THE USE OF EXTERNAL CONTRACTS FOR CURRICULA, INSTRUCTION, AND TESTING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HCR61 HD1
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ENSURE THE INCLUSION OF SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT, ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ENFORCEMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE LAWS, RULES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS.
HCR62
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO REDUCE THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC LANDS FOR MILITARY TRAINING AND EXERCISE AND REMEDIATE AND RESTORE PUBLIC LANDS THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY MILITARY ACTIVITIES.
HCR63
URGING THE COMMISSION TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE CIVIC EDUCATION TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPLICATIONS OF LOWERING THE VOTING AGE FOR STATE AND LOCAL ELECTIONS FROM EIGHTEEN TO SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE.
HCR64
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO OPPOSE BUDGET CUTS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PROTECT HAWAIIAN EDUCATION FROM REGRESSION.
HCR68
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLAN WITH GOALS TO INCREASE TREE CANOPIES ON PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUNDS, DOCUMENT EXISTING INVENTORY AND TALENT, AND IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT AND SUSTAIN THE PLAN.
HCR74 HD1
DECLARING THE YEAR 2022 AS THE YEAR OF THE LIMU.
HCR80 HD1
REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND ENFORCEMENT BY PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL PREMARKET TOBACCO PRODUCT APPLICATION APPLICANT INFORMATION OF HAWAII SELLERS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES.
HCR81 HD1 SD1
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, AND HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO TAKE EVERY ACTION NECESSARY TO ADDRESS RAPIDLY INCREASING SAFETY RISKS AND COMMUNITY DISRUPTION RESULTING FROM INSUFFICIENT REGULATION OF TOUR HELICOPTER AND SMALL AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT HAWAII SKIES.
HCR121 HD1
REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER EMERGENCIES AND NATURAL DISASTERS.
HCR142
REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING HEALTH BENEFITS TO STATE AND COUNTY EMPLOYEES USING A SELF-INSURED MODEL.
HCR143
REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A WORKING GROUP TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE STATE'S LAWS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH A STATE-OPERATED BANK.
HCR144
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DESIGNATE THE REEF RUNWAY AS THE FRANK T. OKIMOTO REEF RUNWAY.
HCR145
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO PRIORITIZE CLEAR, CONSISTENT, AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNICATION WITH UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT APPLICANTS.
HCR153 HD1
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CONSIDER HAWAII RESIDENTS WITH EXPERIENCE SERVING IN THE POSITION OF TEACHER OR HIGHER IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AS PART OF THE QUALIFIED CANDIDATE POOL TO SERVE AS SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION OF HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
HCR159
STRONGLY URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON UNDERWATER MUNITIONS' INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD ON UNDERWATER MUNITIONS TO SEEK AND SECURE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE DISPOSAL OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF UNDERWATER MUNITIONS DUMPED, LOST, OR ABANDONED IN HAWAIIAN WATERS.
HCR160
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO FORGIVE THE STATE'S OUTSTANDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE LOAN BALANCE FOR FEDERAL LOANS BORROWED TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
HCR163 HD1 SD1
REQUESTING THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO ENTER INTO A LONG-TERM WATER LEASE WITH THE WAI‘OLI VALLEY TARO HUI FOR THE HUI'S EXISTING USE OF WATER FROM WAI‘OLI STREAM VIA DIRECT NEGOTIATION, UPON ITS COMPLETION OF REQUIREMENTS PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 343, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES.
HCR164
REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A RETIREMENT SAVINGS TASK FORCE TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A HAWAII RETIREMENT SAVINGS PROGRAM.
HCR167 HD1
REQUESTING THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO CONVENE A MULTI-AGENCY AFFORDABLE HOUSING TASK FORCE TO DETERMINE A UNIFORM DEFINITION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE STATE.
HCR170
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ENSURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S ANNUAL BUDGET REQUEST TO THE LEGISLATURE INCLUDES ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR HAWAIIAN EDUCATION.
HCR171 HD1
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF CULTURE-BASED REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE'S CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM.
HCR172
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND FINANCE, AND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO TESTIFY ON ANY LEGISLATION THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY INCREASE OVERCROWDING CONDITIONS AT HAWAII'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.
HCR177
URGING THE GOVERNOR TO USE FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT FUNDS OR OTHER SUITABLE FEDERAL COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS TO EMPLOY EIGHTY-NINE-DAY HIRES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESSING OF UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS.
HCR178 SD1
REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE AUTHORIZER, ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHARTER SCHOOLS, THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS, AND WHETHER OR NOT LEGISLATION IS REQUIRED TO EFFECTUATE ANY DESIRED CHANGES.
HCR179
URGING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION TO REQUEST THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CHANGE THE NAME OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO THE SCHOOL'S PREVIOUS NAME OF HONOLULU HIGH SCHOOL AND TO REMOVE THE STATUE OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY FROM THE SCHOOL PREMISES.
HR7
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MANDATE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO HOLD QUARTERLY TOWN HALLS TO RECEIVE CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
HR8 HD1
URGING THE LEGISLATURE TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS RAISED AT THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUMMIT AND ADVANCE PATHWAYS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE HOMELESS IN THE STATE.
HR9 HD2
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ELEVATE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS BY EXPANDING ACCESS TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL CLASSES THAT FULFILL CORE REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HR10
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AS A STRATEGY FOR INCREASING ACCESS TO A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION.
HR11
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS TO COMBAT COVID19 LEARNING LOSS.
HR12 HD1
REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY MISSING AND MURDERED NATIVE HAWAIIAN WOMEN AND GIRLS.
HR13 HD1
CONVENING A TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS IMPLEMENTATION OF HAWAII'S STATE LAW COROLLARY TO TITLE IX TO STRENGTHEN HAWAII'S EFFORTS TO END CAMPUS-BASED SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION.
HR34 HD1
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES TO WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO ENSURE THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT MANNER TO ADDRESS NECESSARY RENOVATIONS OF THE HAWAII STATE CAPITOL REFLECTING POOL.
HR40
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO CREATE A MODEL STATEWIDE SCHOOL POLICY ON STUDENT SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND POSTVENTION IN GRADES K-12.
HR41 HD1
REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO ASSESS WHETHER STATE AGENCIES' ANTI-BULLYING POLICIES AND RECORDS OF INCIDENCES OF BULLYING ARE PROPERLY UPDATED AND EFFECTIVELY UTILIZED.
HR42
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASS SIZES.
HR43
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCREASE ACCESS TO ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HR44 HD1
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REDUCE THE USE OF STANDARDIZED TESTING IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM.
HR45
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE POTENTIAL REVENUE TO BE GENERATED FOR THE STATE THROUGH THE LEGALIZATION AND REGULATION OF RECREATIONAL CANNABIS.
HR46 HD1
URGING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL FEMINIST ECONOMIC RECOVERY WORKING GROUP.
HR47 HD1
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT THE PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT OF 2021 AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE.
HR49 HD1
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO REDUCE THE USE OF EXTERNAL CONTRACTS FOR CURRICULA, INSTRUCTION, AND TESTING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HR50 HD1
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ENSURE THE INCLUSION OF SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT, ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ENFORCEMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE LAWS, RULES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS.
HR51
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO REDUCE THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC LANDS FOR MILITARY TRAINING AND EXERCISE AND REMEDIATE AND RESTORE PUBLIC LANDS THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY MILITARY ACTIVITIES.
HR52
URGING THE COMMISSION TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE CIVIC EDUCATION TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPLICATIONS OF LOWERING THE VOTING AGE FOR STATE AND LOCAL ELECTIONS FROM EIGHTEEN TO SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE.
HR53
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO OPPOSE BUDGET CUTS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PROTECT HAWAIIAN EDUCATION FROM REGRESSION.
HR56
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLAN WITH GOALS TO INCREASE TREE CANOPIES ON PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUNDS, DOCUMENT EXISTING INVENTORY AND TALENT, AND IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT AND SUSTAIN THE PLAN.
HR63 HD1
DECLARING THE YEAR 2022 AS THE YEAR OF THE LIMU.
HR67 HD1
REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND ENFORCEMENT BY PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL PREMARKET TOBACCO PRODUCT APPLICATION APPLICANT INFORMATION OF HAWAII SELLERS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES.
HR68 HD1
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, AND HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO TAKE EVERY ACTION NECESSARY TO ADDRESS RAPIDLY INCREASING SAFETY RISKS AND COMMUNITY DISRUPTION RESULTING FROM INSUFFICIENT REGULATION OF RAPIDLY INCREASING OPERATIONS OF TOUR HELICOPTERS AND SMALL AIRCRAFT THROUGHOUT HAWAII SKIES.
HR97 HD1
REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER EMERGENCIES AND NATURAL DISASTERS.
HR121
REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A WORKING GROUP TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE STATE'S LAWS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH A STATE-OPERATED BANK.
HR122
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DESIGNATE THE REEF RUNWAY AS THE FRANK T. OKIMOTO REEF RUNWAY.
HR129 HD1
URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CONSIDER HAWAII RESIDENTS WITH EXPERIENCE SERVING IN THE POSITION OF TEACHER OR HIGHER IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AS PART OF THE QUALIFIED CANDIDATE POOL TO SERVE AS SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION OF HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
HR135
STRONGLY URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON UNDERWATER MUNITIONS' INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD ON UNDERWATER MUNITIONS TO SEEK AND SECURE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE DISPOSAL OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF UNDERWATER MUNITIONS DUMPED, LOST, OR ABANDONED IN HAWAIIAN WATERS.
HR136
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO FORGIVE THE STATE'S OUTSTANDING FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE LOAN BALANCE FOR FEDERAL LOANS BORROWED TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
HR139 HD1
REQUESTING THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO ENTER INTO A LONG-TERM WATER LEASE WITH WAI‘OLI VALLEY TARO HUI FOR THE HUI'S EXISTING USE OF WATER FROM WAI‘OLI STREAM VIA DIRECT NEGOTIATION, UPON COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF CHAPTER 343, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES.
HR140
REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A RETIREMENT SAVINGS TASK FORCE TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A HAWAII RETIREMENT SAVINGS PROGRAM.
HR146
URGING THE GOVERNOR TO USE FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT FUNDS OR OTHER SUITABLE FEDERAL COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS TO EMPLOY EIGHTY-NINE-DAY HIRES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESSING OF UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS.
HR147
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS TO STUDENTS ON ALL HAWAII PUBLIC SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
HR148
URGING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION TO REQUEST THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CHANGE THE NAME OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO THE SCHOOL'S PREVIOUS NAME OF HONOLULU HIGH SCHOOL AND TO REMOVE THE STATUE OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY FROM THE SCHOOL PREMISES.