Hawaii State Legislature

Legislative Wrap-Up
(Courtesy of "Westside Stories")

Click here to read Part 1 of the Legislative Wrap-Up.
















Click here to read Part 2 of the Legislative Wrap-Up.

New window allows sex abuse victims to file claims from decades ago

Originally published by Hawaii News Now; click here to read the article on hawaiinewsnow.com.

Published: Wednesday, July 11th 2018, 4:02 pm HST
Updated: Wednesday, July 11th 2018, 5:42 pm HST

By Lynn Kawano, Anchor / Reporter

Adults who were victims of sex abuse as children have another chance to come forward and make claims under a new, two-year window for civil lawsuits.

Similar openings ended with dozens of pedophiles being exposed.

It also revealed "cover-ups" by multiple schools, churches, and non profits.

That's exactly what a new Hawaii report released Wednesday seeks to spotlight, describing in detail 58 men of the cloth recently accused even though the alleged abuse happened decades ago.

Some have died and some are still in the community.

The list of 58 was compiled by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, based on the mainland, and the Law Office of Mark Gallagher, a Kailua attorney.

The research was the result of laws that temporarily blocked statutes of limitations, allowing victims to come forward and make claims, no matter how much time had passed.

The new window that opened Tuesday is the result of a recently-passed law, which gives victims until April of 2020 to file civil suits.

Since 2012, most of the claims have been connected to the Diocese of Honolulu.

"This report contains a lot of very ugly and scary information," said victims' advocate Joelle Casteix, at a news conference Wednesday, "Men who never would have been exposed if we had not allowed survivors to use the one thing they have, their voice."

The previous window also exposed Dr. Robert Browne, the psychiatrist who sexually boys at Kamehameha Schools over a 30-year period ending in the 1980s. Browne also treated priests for pedophilia.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea also settled a court claim.

June Johnson Cleghorn came forward in 2014, saying a teacher abused her for six years, starting when she was 14 years old and boarding at the school. That claim was settled in 2016.

Cleghorn gives HPA credit for allowing her to publicly talk about the case and inviting her to educate current faculty and students.

"The intent was to end the secrecy surrounding this abuse," she said.

State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, who introduced the legislation to reopen the window, says the #MeToo movement, USA gymnastics, and other massive scandals around the country prompted Hawaii lawmakers to pass the bill after several, previous failures.

Gallagher thinks the momentum will prompt many more to speak out in the next two years that the window provides.

"The different groups of survivors are finding their strength and their finding their supporters," he said.

New law allows schools to sell goods

Originally published by KITV; click here to read the article on kitv.com.

Posted: Jul 08, 2018 5:37 PM
Updated: Jul 08, 2018 5:37 PM

By Jordan Segundo

Schools can now be "open for business" thanks to a bill spearheaded by Waianae High School.

Senate bill 2051 is slated to become law on July 10.

The bill allows individual Department of Education schools and programs operated within a school, to engage in commercial enterprises, including the sale of goods produced by students.

Current laws prevent schools from selling more than $25,000 in goods or services.

The new bill removes this cap, and creates an outlet for all schools to engage in business enterprises which will generate much needed funds for their schools.

Waianae High School educators encouraged their legislators to turn the bill into law.

"Now you'll have the marine science learning center being able to market and sell their shrimp, mullet, ogo, kalo, sun fish...all these things to then be sold on the open market. And then funds will go directly back into the program, which of the course the school desperately needs," said Senator Maile Shimabukuro, (D) Kalaeloa-Waianae-Makaha.

"My hope for the students is that we create employers rather than employees," Rep. Cedric Asuega Gates (D) Kalaeloa-Waianae-Makaha. "I believe a lot of them will go off to be small business owners, to provide for our community the resources and services and goods that we get outside our community."

Contraflow & Other Traffic Updates

On 09/12/16, the Department of Transportation (DOT) shared some good news for eastbound afternoon drivers at the Ahupua‘a o Nanakuli Homestead meeting. The eastbound contraflow lane closure is temporary and will most likely end in late 2017. By that time, a 1.2 mile continuous 5th lane should be complete in Nanakuli, which will serve as a turning lane in the morning. My hope is to secure funding to turn the 5th lane into a contraflow lane in the afternoon. This will hopefully help to alleviate both eastbound and westbound traffic during peak hours.

Some other traffic solutions that DOT is working on include:

- Feasibility study to extend the 5th lane to Hakimo Road

- $12m to resurface Farrington Highway along the entire stretch of the Waianae Coast

- Traffic cameras at the Nanakuli Ave. and Haleakala Ave. stoplights, which will allow DOT to remotely control these lights, as well as allow drivers to view these intersections online

- High-tech infrared sensors at key intersections in Nanakuli

- Makakilo interchange improvement project

- LED lighting along Farrington Hwy

- Zipper Lane: added lane and extended hours

- Kualaka‘i to Kunia shoulder lane

- Tow truck service on Farrington Hwy

Contact me with your concerns at 586-7793.

Sen. Shimabukuro explained that one more permanent potential solution is to turn the fifth turning lane into a contraflow lane. This would make it three lanes westbound and two eastbound in the afternoon.		DOT Highways Division Deputy Director Edwin Sniffen addressed the community on 09/12/16.

CONGRATULATING THE WAI‘ANAE TIGERS JR. PEE WEE FOOTBALL TEAM ON WINNING THE HAWAII STATE DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP AND PLACING 3RD IN THE 2015 NATIONAL POP WARNER SUPER BOWL

[language from certificate presented by Sen. Shimabukuro on 03/31/2016]

The Wai‘anae Tigers Jr. Pee Wee Football Team learned the importance of discipline, commitment, and sacrifice to make their dreams a reality. Holidays, early mornings, and late evenings were often spent practicing. Their hard work paid off when the team finished the season having never been scored on by an opponent. The Tigers went on to win the 2015 Hawai‘i State Division I Championship, allowing them to advance to the National Championship in Orlando, FL, where the team placed third.

The following individuals were members of the championship team: Shane-Akoni Arindain-Pojas, Dustin Balancio-Sadamaru, Andrew Bushong, Chasen Callahan-Koko, Lathan Canionero, Luke DeCambra, Rayden DeMello, Kavassi Filimona, Kaien Gasper, Malcolm Gaston, Chayce Gomes, Victor Higa, Marc Izzi, Alvin Kalahiki IV, Elijah Kamakele-Rezentes, Chauncey Kido-White, Makana Kukonu, Shayce Lopes, Colton Lowry, Jaidias Malinao-Dias, Nainoa Nagum, Tama Tele‘e Nakoa,Keoni O'Sullivan, Keli‘i Pelenato, Dallas Pelen-Talalotu, Trent Phillips, Braedon Pieper, Christian Sansano, Moses Tabangcura, Kilohana Thomas, Nehemiah Timoteo, and Kanaloa Werner.

The team's success would not have been possible without coaches Kenny Joseph, Davin Izzi, Alvin Kalahiki III, Shawn Kaleiohi, Kepa Kapahua, Makani Kukonu, Kawika Nakoa, Li‘i Talalotu, Boy Timoteo, and Floyd Werner.

The Wai‘anae Tigers Jr. Pee Wee Football Team has a proud history of success on the football field. Since 2004, the Tigers have won six Hawai‘i State Division I Championships, three Las Vegas Bowl Championships, and placed third at the 2012 and 2015 Pop Warner Super Bowls. The team's overall record for the past 12 years is 129 wins, 11 losses, and five ties.

The Senate of the Twenty-Eighth Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i, Regular Session of 2016, hereby commends and congratulates the Wai‘anae Tigers Jr. Pee Wee Football Team. The Senate extends its appreciation and warmest aloha to the coaches, business manager, team moms, and all other supporters for their guidance of these young athletes, and wishes the team continued success on and off the field.

The Senate with players and coaches of the Wai‘anae Tigers Jr. Pee Wee Football Team.		The Wai‘anae Tigers Jr. Pee Wee Football Team presented Sen. Shimabukuro with a team photo as a mahalo at a banquet on April 9, 2016.