Issue Briefs
from Senator Norman Sakamoto
Traffic Congestion at Salt Lake Boulevard - Puuloa Road Intersection 5/23/07
Complaints have been made about the recent lane change (from 4 lanes to 3 lanes) at the Salt Lake Boulevard - Puuloa Road intersection.
Peter Young's Confirmation....People Died
The decision not to support Peter Young's nomination was not an easy one, but was necessary in light of certain troubling facts that emerged during the confirmation process. A cabinet appointment depends not on popularity, but on the person's fitness for an important position.
Text of Senator Sakamoto's Floor Speech
$300,000 for Moanalua Gardens Foundation
Updates on Conference Bills 4/23/07
Preparing to Override the Governor's Veto
On April 20, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Governor Linda Lingle "traded swipes" over the Governor's veto of the bill to estabish an advisory council for UH Board of Regents candidates. Both Senate and House leaders have promised to override the veto.
Senator Sakamoto's 2007 Education Priorities 4/9/07
Supporting Our Caregivers 4/3/07
The Fil-Am Courier (March 16-31, 2007) recently published an editorial: "DOH Overzealous Care Home Surveyors." It touches upon a very important issue. Hawaii is facing a rapidly aging population. We can be grateful that many of our senior citizens will enjoy good health in their golden years. But we also need to be prepared to help those who will need increased medical care. Traditionally, many elderly and disabled population have been placed in nursing homes. Recently, the trend has been to rely more on residential care homes.
Moving the Education Agenda Forward (Updated) 5/3/07
To help you follow the progress of the education agenda in the 2007 legislature, we will be posting reports on the status of various education bills. The bills will be listed by areas: Education Reform, Early Education, Students, Administration, Facilities, Teachers, Community and University of Hawaii. As the session progresses, we will also be informing you of important deadlines coming up.
Resolutions Introduced by Senator Norman Sakamoto Relating to General Topics 3/30/07
Resolutions Introduced by Senator Norman Sakamoto Relating to the University of Hawaii 3/30/07
Resolutions Introduced by Senator Norman Sakamoto Relating to Education 3/30/07
Longer School Day for Hawaii Students 3/5/07
On February 25, the Honolulu Advertiser published an article "Longer school day gains fans on East Coast."1 In an interview with KGMB9 News, Senator Sakamoto expressed support for the idea, noting: "Nobody wants to be in school tied to a desk longer, but if they can see it increase their opportunities to do more things such as art, music, that have sort of been squeezed out of the school day, I think they would welcome that."
Selecting University of Hawaii Regents 2/26/07
On February 16, the Senate passed Senate Bill 14, which would change the way candidates for the University of Hawaii (UH) Board of Regents are selected. The bill would create a Candidate Advisory Council to screen and propose candidates for the UH Board of Regents.
Progress Report on Classroom Renovation in 15th District 2/15/07
Department of Education's status report on the progress being made on classroom renovations
BILLS INTRODUCED BY SENATOR NORMAN SAKAMOTO (Updated) 3/13/07
View the text of bills that Senator Sakamoto introduced in the Senate.
BATTLE LOOMS OVER UH REGENTS, STAR-BULLETIN 1/27/07
Lawmakers are speeding the creation of a council to select board candidates
WIPING OUT GRAFFITI 1/25/07
Graffiti has been an ongoing community concern. We want to thank the many volunteers who have devoted much of their time and energy to identifying, reporting, and painting out these public eyesores. However, it appears that all this hard work has not been sufficient to deal with this problem. To deal with this serious and growing problem we introduced Senate Bill 1148.
TESTIMONY TO THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ON THE PROPOSED PA'INA HAWAII LLC IRRADIATOR 1/24/07
The proposed Pa'ina Hawaii LLC Irradiator is situated on the very edge of the Honolulu International Airport, next to one of the main runways. While there will be benefits to the State's economy, the risks will be far greater.
PROPOSED IRRADIATION PLANT IN 15TH DISTRICT- 1/18/07
The Honolulu Advertiser on January 9 reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be holding a public meeting on Pa'ina Hawaii LLC's application for an irradiator situated next to the Honolulu International Airport. The meeting will be held February 1 at the Ala Moana Hotel from 6-9 PM.
DRUG TESTING FOR TEACHERS- 10/27/06
On October 10, a public school teacher was arrested for allegedly selling nearly a pound of "ice" (crystal methamphetamine) while at school.
KAILUA HIGH SCHOOL AUDIT- 10/27/06
In its first-ever management audit of a public school, State Auditor Marion Higa found serious problems at Kailua High School.
CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THE WASHER/DRYER SYNDROME - 10/27/06
The Hawaii charter schools recently made the news with the recent dismissal of the charter school administrative office's (CSAO) executive director Jim Shon.
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS -- THE TURNAROUND- 10/19/06
After years of struggling with a huge repair and maintenance (R & M) backlog, Hawaii public schools are continuing to make major headway in reducing the backlog.
ADVERTISER POSTS GAS PRICES - 9/6/06
On August 23rd, the Honolulu Advertiser printed the article "Gas cap would have cut summer's prices."
GASOLINE PRICES TO BE POSTED - 8/16/06
Our office recently received a number of inquiries about when the State would begin publishing wholesale gasoline prices and where that information could be found.
HAWAII'S WEIGHTED STUDENT FORMULA PRAISED - 8/3/06
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a report noting that weighted student formula (WSF) – was gaining broad support across the nation. The reported noted of Hawaii's WSF: "It is too early to tell what results Hawaii's comprehensive approach to WSF will yield, but it's one of the best developed WSF systems on the books today."
ACADEMIC FAILURE AND JUVENILE CRIME - 8/2/06
The State Attorney General office released a report1 in which it was found that academic failure was the most significant predictor of long-term incarceration at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, having the highest odds of 8.42 to 1.
MILITARY IMPACT AID – 6/25/06
At a recent Education Town Hall meeting at Schofield Barracks on May 24, there were questions about how federal impact aid benefits military children. The Hawaii Army Weekly noted that there was confusion about how "state Department of Education and legislative funding coffers, and even property taxes" figure in education funding.
"AUTO SHOP" BILL – 6/25/06
In recent years the Department of Education (DOE) has been having difficulty finding teachers for vocational education programs. Vocational education covers a wide range of subjects: automotive technology, construction, agriculture, food services, and drafting. The problem is a growing one as teachers retire and DOE needs to find suitable replacements.
WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? – 5/30/06
An improved economy has resulted in a $600 million general fund surplus for the State of Hawaii. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has approached this surplus by looking at public needs first – education, health, human services – then tax relief.
GAS CAP LAW – 5/30/06
Update - May 2006: The gas cap law has generated considerable discussion this session. In response to intense outside pressure blaming the gas cap for increased prices, the Legislature passed House Bill 3115 CD1, which suspends the gas cap indefinitely.
KAKA'AKO - 5/30/06
Update - May 2006: The Legislature passed House Bill 2555 CD1, which prohibits Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) from selling land in the Kakaako community development district.
GAS CAP LAW – 4/11/06
Update - April 2006: In late March, Senator Ron Menor proposed suspending the gas cap law for the time being while including a "safeguard" that would allow the cap to be reinstated if gas prices rise too high.1 This proposal seems to be a reasonable compromise.
KAKA'AKO - 2/14/06
As the ongoing discussion of the development of Kaka’ako continues, deciding on a sensible action plan on this special parcel has reached a critical point.
TAX RELIEF – 2/12/06
In her 2006 State of the State address, Governor Lingle proposed a $285 million tax relief package. The Governor's proposal, however, will not allow for sufficient funding of our educational needs. We need to fix our schools; the repair and maintenance backlog is now $525 million.