Happy President’s Day!

February 19, 2022

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Reminder: Next Monday is a holiday. Please click here for information on City services that are closed and/or have adjusted hours for the Presidents’ Day holiday three-day weekend. Please note holiday changes for their bus schedules, trash collection and landfill hours, parks and botanical gardens, golf courses, the zoo, Neil Blaisdell Center, People’s Open Markets, parking, traffic, and more. Wishing you all a happy and safe weekend!

Caring for you!

Contents

District Updates
Legislative Session Updates
COVID & General Wellness Resources
Weekend Waysides & Upcoming Events

District Updates

Upcoming Virtual Town Hall:
Join us on February 23, 2022 at 5:30PM for a virtual Town Hall with my colleagues Rep. Scott Saiki, Majority Leader Della Au Belatti, and Rep Scott Nishimoto to talk story about what’s going on in our neighborhood and our Capitol. Hope to see you there!

Queen’s Lane/Kolowalu Park Clean Up:
Mahalo to Howard Hughes, City & County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services and Hawaii Community Development Authority for their speedy response to making Kaka`ako’s Queens Lane/Kalowalu Park street safe and clean. In just days, they came together to address the concerns raised. Mahalo also to Sandra Furuike for bringing this to our attention. Reference below to see the improved condition and more to come as they address the buckling of the metal curbing on the sidewalk, street signage on the lane, street light timers and tree trimming.

Mahalo to everyone for working hard to make our neighborhood the safest it can be.

Improvements made to Kaka`ako’s Queen’s Lane/Kalowalu Park.

Neighborhood Board Meetings:
Here are Neighborhood Boards in our District. Our office participates in their meetings and we look forward to seeing you there!

McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board meets the 1st Thursday of each month.
Waikiki Neighborhood Board meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Makiki-Tantalus Neighborhood Board meets the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board meets the 4th Tuesday of each month.

Next week, Tuesday the 22nd, Ala Moana-Kakaako will hold its February Neighborhood Board Meeting. Some of the topics up for discussion include the Kewalo Basin Pier improvements, anti-corruption safeguards at the legislature, and homelessness issues in Ala Moana-Kakaako. For the full agenda and Zoom link, click here.

Legislative Session Updates

Moment of Contemplation:

Mahalo to our very own session staff, Heather Brittain, for presenting the moment of contemplation on the Senate Floor on Wednesday, Feb. 16th. Every legislative session, each Senate office has the opportunity to present a moment of contemplation to members of the Senate. This session, Heather reflected on taking risks, trying new things, and showing aloha in all that you do.

Heather providing a moment of contemplation.

Senate Committee on Government Operations (GVO):

Chaired by Senator Sharon Moriwaki
SB2930 seeks to establish two new divisions within the Department of the Attorney General to address fraud, white collar crime, political corruption and sex and human trafficking. I believe this bill will reinforce the public trust in government that won’t be undermined by those who abuse their positions of power. It was featured in a recent article by Civil Beat. The bill was passed with amendments by the joint committees on Government Operations, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. We will continue to work with the Attorney General in drafting language to ensure this bill fulfills its intended purpose. Please read the bill and track its progress by clicking here.

Bill Updates:
The following bills are continuing to progress through Session. Thank you to everyone who is submitting testimony!

SB2126 Relating to transportation: Addresses the problem of vehicles making excessive noise by increasing the monetary fines for violations. This bill is on its way to the Judiciary Committee.
HB1669 Relating to sea level rise adaptation: Focuses on community planning for sea level rise by establishing a working group to develop a plan to address climate change and sea level impacts in the Waikiki special district. SB2724 is its Senate companion bill.
HB1672 Relating to special improvement districts: This is a bill long overdue to care for our environment in special improvement districts like Waikiki. It seeks to expand the use of funds to not only cover economic development but, as importantly, to fund environmental research, restoration and maintenance; natural resource management; and natural hazard mitigation to improve environmental conditions and provide community benefits. SB2725 is the Senate companion.
HB1826 Relating to homelessness: Addresses the need for rental assistance among kupuna 62 years and older who are homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless. The companion Senate bill, SB2677 , passed the joint committees of HMS/HSG and now goes to WAM.
SB2381 Relating to technology access for individuals with disabilities: This bill helps the disabled in our community. This bill establishes and implements standards for providing access to electronic information technology developed, purchased, and used by the State.

First Lateral Deadline in the Senate is 2/17/22:
Thursday, Feb. 17^th was the first lateral deadline in the Senate. This deadline indicates when a bill must move to the final referral committee (“lateral” because the bills move “sideways”–from one committee to another within each house—rather than “forward” from the House to the Senate or vice versa).

To see a list of all the bills that the Government Operations passed out of our committee, click here. To see what other committees are working on, use the “Reports and Lists” feature on the capitol website and click on “Committee Referrals” on the left sidebar.

How to participate in Session? 
Questions about how to write testimony and the legislative process? Contact the Capitol’s Public Access Room Team of Virginia, Keanu, and Ashley! Visit their website or phone them at (808) 587-0478 or email at par@capitol.hawaii.gov.

How to watch a hearing live or recorded? 
You may watch and participate in hearings from anywhere in the world with internet connectivity! Please connect to the Hawaii State Senate’s YouTube Channel.

COVID & General Wellness Resources

City’s free COVID-19 testing for Oahu residents resumes normal operating hours, additional community sites added:
The City’s Mobile Lab at the airport is resuming normal daily operating hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Monday, February 21. Beginning Wednesday, January 19, the airport test site operating hours were extended on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to 9 p.m. to ensure testing services were accessible to residents during the Omicron wave. Given the precipitous drop in coronavirus cases on Oahu and the lowered demand for testing, the City’s Mobile Lab at the Airport will now return to normal operating hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Beginning next week, testing will also be available for Oahu residents at Honolulu Hale on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at Kapolei Hale on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More info here.

More families can qualify for the City’s Rental and Utility Relief Program:
New federal eligibility rules mean more people can now qualify for help. The program is expanding eligibility to include renters who have suffered economic harm during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is also increasing the length of support to 18 months instead of12 months. Changes in eligibility and length of support are due to new funding rules from the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Please click here to learn more.

Pediatrician Answers Questions about Resuming Regular Keiki Checkups:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some families decided to forgo regular, in-person checkups with their children’s doctor and other healthcare professionals over concerns about the risk of infection. The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging parents to resume checkups for children to protect their health with much needed well-child and dental visits, including screenings, dental checkups, and vaccinations.

Regular checkups not only track children’s development, but also identify any health problems early to avoid complications and more costly treatment.

We asked Dr. Vinson Diep, FAAP, a pediatrician at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, to answer some common questions about taking your children in for regular checkups and what safety precautions are in place at doctor’s offices. For the full Q&A, click here.

Weekend Waysides & Upcoming Events

The Honolulu Zoo welcomes new hippopotamus:
The Honolulu Zoo announced the arrival of a hippopotamus on Wednesday from the Los Angeles Zoo. The female hippo, Mara, was born on September 24, 2003. She is 18 years old and weighs approximately 3,610 pounds. More info here.

Courtesy Hononolulu Zoo

Geothermal Community Webinar – Sponsored by Sustainable Energy Hawaii:
Sustainable Energy Hawaii is presenting the second part of a 2-part webinar series looking at geothermal power in our state. The first webinar held on February 5th, gave a brief overview of energy from both macro and micro standpoints. A recording of Part 1 can be found on our website here.

The second part will be presented this Saturday, February 19th @ 10:00 am HST. This part will focus on the community, cultural, environmental and regulatory obstacles that are blocking a more robust use of this valuable, indigenous resource as we look for firm, sustainable, renewable sources of energy for our state. If you’re not able to attend, Part 2 will also be posted on our website here.

Hawaii State Junior Golf Association/First Tee to re-open Ala Wai Golf Course Driving Range on March 4, 2022:
The Ala Wai Golf Course Driving Range and Pro Shop will hold a soft-opening on March 4, 2022. Hawaii State Junior Golf Association (HSJGA)/First Tee will be operating the Driving Range and Pro Shop at Ala Wai Golf Course under a revocable permit. More info here.

Our office will continue to be here to serve you. If you enjoy our newsletter, it’s always appreciated to share it with a family, friend or community member.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to respond to this email or email me here: my inbox is always open. You can also give our office a call at (808) 586-6740. Mahalo for waking up to our newsletter! Have a great day!

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