September 15, 2022
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Questions New DOE Appointments
The Hawai'i State Department of Education has a new deputy superintendent
of strategy and another for operations. This comes after the Board of
Education approved the two appointments during a recent BOE meeting. DOE
Superintendent Keith Hayashi said the two new leaders will help strengthen
the department's ability to get priorities done and mitigate negative
impacts of the pandemic.
Yet, the Hawai'i State Teachers Association brings up concerns, adding this
is money being funneled away from classrooms and students. Additionally, the
Vice-Chair of the House Education Committee, Rep. Jeanne Kapela, is concerned
about the lack of transparency of the hiring process.
"I am deeply concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the recent
deputy superintendent hirings," said Rep. Kapela. "The BOE approved the new
positions without asking a single question of the nominees, which undermines
public confidence in the selection process. We must make sure that the people
appointed to these positions are committed to replacing test-and-punish
education policies with well-rounded learning opportunities for our children."
For more information, see the following link:
DOE APPOINTMENTS.
September 13, 2022
Rep. Kapela Calls for Systemic Solutions to School Bus Driver Shortage
In response to the chronic school bus driver shortage, Hawai'i public high school students are being offered free city and county bus passes to use on Oahu, Kauai and Maui under a pilot project launched Monday. On Hawai'i island, where Hele-On county buses already are free to ride, high school students are being encouraged to use them more, and to register with the new EXPRESS program so their county bus use can be counted.
The EXPRESS passes aren’t much help to rural students who would have to wait in the pre-dawn dark along roads without sidewalks, said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou), whose Big Island district has been plagued with bus shortages. She said ultimately, more permanent solutions are needed, including better pay to attract school bus drivers for the long term.
School buses are contracted via companies such as Roberts Hawai'i School Bus and Ground Transport Inc. Some companies are reporting improved hiring through better pay and benefits, Kapela said.
School bus schedules make it hard to get a second job, so “we have to give them a living wage, along with more respect," Kapela said. “We have to understand the importance of these individuals within our education system.”
For more, visit the following link:
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE.
September 12, 2022
New online guide provides information on abortion access in Hawaiʻi
This month, the Hawai'i Abortion Collective released the state's first comprehensive resource providing information on abortion rights and services for patients and providers in the islands. The guide follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and ruled that abortion is not a constitutional right.
"A majority of those seeking abortion care are young, socio-economically disadvantaged women of color,"said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela, representing District 5 on the Big Island. "Many neighbor island communities, like my home, are stricken with financial distress and are missing the essential health infrastructure available in urban Honolulu. Hopefully, this abortion guide being launched today will begin to rectify the gaps in our continuum of care for our sister Island residents in need in need of abortion services."
To access the abortion guide, visit:
HAWAI'I ABORTION GUIDE.
July 26, 2022
Rep. Jeanne Kapela leads lawmakers' support for LGBTQ+ community
Following violent threats that led to the cancellation of a planned fundraising event for
LGBTQ+ youth on Hawaii Island, 18 state legislators issued a statement this week to
reaffirm their support for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
The family friendly billed event was set to take place at Keauhou Shopping Center on
Saturday with funds raised going to West Hawaii Children’s Justice Center, said Rep.
Jeanné Kapela (D-South Kona, North Kona and Ka‘u). It was called off when organizers
and participants received threats of violence, including death threats.
"Violent threats have no place on our shores, especially when they involve children.
The outbursts of hate speech that caused the cancellation of this event show that we
need to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ youth and their families across Hawaii," said Kapela.
For more, visit the following link:
LGBTQ+ SUPPORT.
July 21, 2022
Hawai'i lawmakers question Navy's timeline in Red Hill defueling plan
Hawaii legislators asked if the Navy could finish the job of defueling Red Hill faster than two and a half years. The Navy said it is a possibility, but supply chain issues may be a factor. The Navy plans to spend over a year on assessments, repairs, and securing the Red Hill facility for the job to come.
Rep. Jeanne Kapela warned the Navy, "You folks have talked about safety and moving at the speed of safety but the reality is that every second that we wait, and every moment that we wait to commence defueling operations, will lead and could possibly lead to another public health and environmental catastrophe."
For more, visit the following link:
SHUT DOWN RED HILL.
May 4, 2022
Legislature Gives Final Approval To Minimum Wage, Mauna Kea And Teacher Pay Bills
Lawmakers took final votes on hundreds of bills Tuesday in one of the last days of a
session that featured a historic, billion-dollar investment in housing and other programs
for Hawaiians, and a major push to increase funding for education.
Rep. Jeanne Kapela told her colleagues that "a living wage is a human right," and said by
passing the bill "we are resetting the conversation about what is possible in terms of
delivering economic justice to working families, not just for our state but for the entire nation."
Public school teachers’ salaries were another major focus this year, with lawmakers earmarking
$130 million in the budget for raises for about 8,700 more senior teachers to resolve an issue
known as salary “compression,” and also provide additional pay for professional development.
Kapela, who represents rural Ka'u, thanked her colleagues Tuesday for supporting those initiatives
to boost teacher pay this year. "The schools in my district are remote and highly impoverished,"
with an extremely high teacher turnover rate, she said. She blamed Hawaii’s chronic teacher shortage
on low pay — public schools had a shortage of more than 1,000 qualified teachers in the 2018-2019
school year — and said the raises approved this year will go a “long way” toward addressing the problem.
For more, visit the following link:
PASSED BILLS.
April 22, 2022
Fighting to Strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit
State lawmakers and advocates for the working class on Monday urged the Hawai'i
Legislature to extend a key tax credit for the poor. The Hawai'i Earned Income
Tax Credit is set to expire at the end of the year. A new bill proposes to
extend the credit for another six years. It also will allow Hawai'i's poorest
families who don’t earn enough money to qualify for more benefits under the credit.
State Rep. Jeanne Kapela said her support for the measure comes from personal
experience. "I grew up in an incredibly and extremely low income household. I
know exactly what it’s like to not know where you’re next meal is going to come
from," she said. "The creation of a refundable EITC might mean the difference
between keeping ... children fed."
For more, see the following link:
TAX CREDIT.
April 21, 2022
Supporters rally to raise minimum wage to $18
A bill that would incrementally raise the state’s minimum wage passed out of
the state Senate on Tuesday.
House Bill 2510, in its current iteration, would increase the base pay in
stages from the current minimum wage of $10.10 to $12 per hour in October
of this year, then to $15 an hour starting January 2024 and finally $18 an
hour in January 2026.
It would also reduce and eventually eliminate the “tip credit” — a practice
that allows employers to use a portion of tips toward the calculation of the
minimum wage.
"We know that the Legislature needs to step up and really have the political
courage to ensure that we can deliver a living wage for all," Rep. Jeanne K
apela said. "A living wage really means the difference between choosing
whether you're going to use that $20 bill to put gas in your car or keep a
roof over your head or put food on the table for your children."
For more, see the following link:
MINIMUM WAGE.
March 10, 2022
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Fights for Stronger Minimum Wage Bill
Hawai'i lawmakers moved ahead with plans to dramatically increase the state
minimum wage to $18 an hour after a stirring House floor debate Tuesday.
Democratic Rep. Jeanne Kapela argued that the measure was too stingy. "This
measure still falls short of what working families truly deserve," she said.
The last series of increases in the state minimum wage from 2014 to 2018 did
not trigger any huge loss of jobs, Kapela said. In fact, the number of people
employed by small businesses grew by 3 percent during those years, while the
number of small businesses in Hawai'i grew by 8 percent, she said.
"When we hear people from the business community or from the restaurant
industry saying that creating a living wage will lead to job losses, we know
that, too, is a lie," Kapela told her House colleagues.
For more, see the following link:
MINIMUM WAGE.
March 10, 2022
Proposal could give Hawai'i high school students, teachers LGBTQ-inclusive training
A bill moving through the State Legislature would provide more inclusive training for students
and teachers to cull some of the stigmas around the LGBTQ community.
"When we're talking about schools being these safe spaces for students, you can't
learn if you don’t feel like your teacher respects you for who you are," said Rep. Jeanne Kapela.
For more, see the following link:
LGBTQ INCLUSIVITY.
February 1, 2022
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Launches Working Families Legislative Caucus
A diverse group of Hawai'i lawmakers has formed a new coalition to elevate legislative efforts aimed
at improving economic conditions for much of the local working class, including households with children.
Fourteen lawmakers including the lone Republican in the state Senate have established the Working
Families Caucus, which plans to sponsor five bills to bolster the finances of lower-income residents
through wage, benefit and tax policy changes.
Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) led the formation of the caucus and will serve as
its chairwoman. “I think it’s about time that we push for, fight for and pass legislation that will
uplift Hawaii’s working families,” she said in an interview.
For more, see the following link:
WORKING FAMILIES CAUCUS.
February 1, 2022
Rep. Kapela Introduces Legislation to Increase Teacher Pay
Rep. Jeanne Kapela, vice chair of the House Education Committee, also plans to introduce two bills
— one addressing so-called salary compression in which teachers are not paid according to years of
experience and another proposing to remove the cap on salary classes so teachers are more incentivized
to seek professional development.
"We are heading into session with a billion-dollar surplus, which makes a lot of us hopeful that we
can pass legislation that supports teachers and our working families," Kapela said. "We can absolutely
afford to pay teachers more. We need to pay them what they’re worth."
For more, see the following link:
TEACHER PAY.
February 1, 2022
Rep. Kapela Advocates for School Bus System Improvements
Hundreds of Hawai'i families are scrambling to get their children to school as a
chronic school bus driver shortage worsened by the latest COVID-19 surge has led to
the temporary suspension of dozens of routes, mostly on Hawaii island. State Rep.
Jeanne Kapela, (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou), says she has received a flood of
calls and emails from constituents who are frustrated by the bus interruptions.
"In a Jan. 18 House hearing with the DOE, Kapela said to interim school Superintendent
Keith Hayashi, “With the (coronavirus) case counts skyrocketing basically throughout
the DOE, cases being under-reported in schools, and thousands of teachers calling out
sick, and kids not being able to get to the classroom … don’t you think it’s time that
we maybe follow the lead of some other schools across the country and return to possible
distance learning, at least until things normalize?”
For more, see the following link:
BUS SHORTAGE.
October 25, 2021
Rep. Kapela Joins Lawmakers in Defending Mauna Kea Protectors
Although the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands had planned a sweep
of individuals who continue to occupy the area around the Maunakea Access
Road, three Hawaii lawmakers have formally asked the department chair to
explore possibilities that would permit the protesters to remain on the mountain.
"If they were to do something like this, COVID or not, and even if our
hospitals are full and even if we're in the very worst part of the
pandemic that we’ve seen so far, people wouldn't hesitate to protect
Maunakea. We would just continue to see case numbers skyrocket," Rep.
Kapela said. "It's never a good time, but now is absolutely the wrong time."
For more, see:
MAUNA KEA.
October 8, 2021
Rep. Kapela joins nationwide protests in support of reproductive rights
Nearly 100 West Hawai'i residents took to the streets on October 2, 2021 to join citizens
across the nation rallying in support of abortion rights in Hawai'i and beyond.
"Today we are here to advance reproductive rights across our state and increase access to
reproductive care, but also because there is an attack against reproductive rights in
our nation right now," said one of the rally’s organizers Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D-South Kona,
Ka'u and a portion of North Kona).
For more. click the following link:
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE.
July 21, 2021
Safety Must Be Prioritized As Schools Reopen
The Hawaii Department of Health is currently revising school guidance, but with two weeks
until school starts, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are
lending a helping hand in keeping classrooms safe.
"This past year, the legislature did appropriate money to the Department of Education,"
said Rep. Jeanne Kapela, (D) Naalehu, Ocean View, Captain Cook, and Kailua-Kona. "I'm
hopeful that it's going to be used specifically for HEPA filters or bringing in more
air filtration into our classrooms. Especially those that don’t have maybe windows or
the possibility to have free flowing air coming into the classroom as easily as others."
For more, visit the following link:
SCHOOL SAFETY.
July 6, 2021
Rep. Jeanne Kapela speaks out against Asian American discrimination
Hundreds rallied at the state Capitol and marched through Chinatown on Saturday in a show of unity against
targeted attacks on Asian Americans in the U.S., most recently highlighted when a man shot and killed eight
people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, at three spas in the Atlanta area earlier this month.
State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) referred to the March 16 shooting in the Atlanta
area "as another outbreak of the ongoing epidemic of mass gun violence here in our country, and it was also
an act of racial terror against Asians and Asian Americans."
For more, click the following link:
STOP ASIAN HATE.
July 1, 2021
Rep. Kapela fights for teacher bonuses, funding for Hawai'i’s education system
A bill that would give $2,200 bonuses to Hawai'i public school teachers is now on Gov.
Ige's intent to veto list. The announcement came during the week of Monday, June 21,
but one lawmaker believes it could work.
"There is a question about federal money being utilized in this bill and it has
actually nothing to do with that $2,200 teacher incentive," said Rep. Jeanne Kapela.
"There are whole states that have used money they’ve received through the American Rescue
Plan to help give teachers an incentive or to give them a bonus of some sort."
For more, click the following link:
TEACHER RETENTION INCENTIVE.
June 24, 2021
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Fights for Teacher Shortage Pay Increases
State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou), vice chairwoman of the House Education
Committee, noted last week that the Legislature had left "significant holes" in the public schools'
budget, including for the differentials. She urged the Board of Education to use some of the federal
relief money that is targeted for learning loss to cover them.
"These differentials are critical to maintaining quality educators in my community's schools," Kapela
said. "Nothing could be more critical to preventing learning loss than ensuring that our most vulnerable
children are taught by highly qualified teachers." For more, click the following link:
TEACHER DIFFERENTIALS.
May 14, 2021
Economic Recovery Should Focus On Working Families
Congress provided federal assistance to working families this winter through stimulus payments
and tax relief provisions of the American Rescue Plan, such as the newly broadened child tax
credit. The support offered by these measures is far short of what is necessary for most
island residents to make ends meet, however, leaving local leaders with the duty of uplifting
their economic well-being.
To help Hawai'i's workers, elected officials must act to create a living wage of at least
$17/hour, pass paid sick and family leave programs, and exempt unemployment insurance payments
from the state income tax. For more, visit the following link:
WORKING FAMILIES.
April 29, 2021
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Calls for Board of Education to Consider Teachers in Superintendent Search
As Hawai'i's Board of Education prepares to choose a new school superintendent,
the State Legislature passed a bill requiring it to prioritize candidates with
at least a decade of administrative experience and a "working understanding" of
local leadership processes. Rep. Jeanne Kapela expressed concerns about the measure,
saying that it could prevent teachers from being considered as viable candidates.
"If we really want to uplift teachers and students, we have to make sure we have a
superintendent who has served in a position of teacher," she said. By focusing mainly
on departmental administrators like principals and complex area superintendents, "we
are only continuing to reproduce the exact same shortcomings with the current
administration," she said. For more, click the following link:
TEACHERS.
April 28, 2021
Rep. Kapela Comments on Search for Hawaii DOE interim superintendent
The Board of Education has begun its search for an interim superintendent to
head the Hawaii Department of Education until it appoints a permanent superintendent.
“I believe that the Board of Education should prioritize candidates from our
home state in selecting a new superintendent,” Kapela said. "Ideally, the BOE
should choose someone with a proven track record of classroom experience and
a commitment to supporting the teachers who are tasked with crafting our
keiki’s future." For more, click the following link:
SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH.
March 30, 2021
Rep. Jeanne Kapela Supports Closing REITs Tax Loophole
State lawmakers have once again taken a pass at trying to abolish a tax
break for real estate investment trusts operating in Hawai'i, but Rep.
Jeanne Kapela is committed to continuing to work to close the tax
loophole and fight for tax fairness for Hawai'i's people.
"As a strong supporter of taxing REITs, I am committed to doing all
I can to move these measures forward during next year’s legislative
session," Rep. Kapela said in an email. "Taxing REITs must be part of our
strategy for sustaining our state’s fiscal recovery and creating an
economy that advances the prosperity of all of Hawaii’s people. As we
work to craft an economic recovery that uplifts working families, we
need to generate revenue that puts people’s needs before corporate greed."
For more, see: KAPELA SUPPORTS CLOSING REITS LOOPHOLE.
February 22, 2021
It's Time for Hawai'i to Tax the Rich
Budgets are about allocating resources. Ultimately, our state’s fiscal choices -
including decisions about raising revenue — reflect our political and socioeconomic
priorities. As we craft the islands’ economic recovery, the choice is clear: Will we
continue a status quo that damages our most vulnerable residents or will we finally
put people before profit?
This year, I introduced an omnibus revenue generation bill to close the state’s $1.4
billion budget shortfall by increasing taxes on the wealthy. HB 3, and its Senate companion
SB 56, would generate over $750 million per year to uplift our island home and uplift
Hawai'i's most vulnerable residents.
For more, visit the following link:
TAX THE RICH.
February 19, 2021
Hawai'i lawmakers push to legalize marijuana for personal use
With the state strapped for cash, some Hawai'i lawmakers are considering
legalizing recreational marijuana. Rep. Jeanne Kapela introduced a bill
that would allow people to have up to an ounce of cannabis. It would also
create a process for cultivators to grow and sell marijuana which would
then be taxed by the state, which could generate at least $150 million in
revenue at a time when the state is in desperate need of money.
"This bill is a bill that will legalize marijuana and tax it that way we
can utilize that revenue for essential services which right now in the
middle of this budget shortfall are being cut. We should not be furloughing
teachers, we should be generating revenue and utilizing this opportunity
to allow people to do something that they've already been doing and making
sure we are no longer going to disproportionately harm the working poor
or Native Hawaiian," Kapela said.
For more, see the following link:
CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.
January 25, 2021
Rep. Jeanne Kapela opposes crippling school budget cuts
A proposal to slice 10% from Hawaii’s public schools budget for the next two years - on top
of the 6% cut already imposed this fiscal year — was approved Thursday by the Board of Education.
"As the Education Committee incoming vice chair, I believe it is my responsibility to prevent
these draconian cuts from happening," said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Kailua-Kona to Naalehu).
"What's before you today would create educational chaos. … I do promise to be an eager partner
with you in resolving the department’s fiscal dilemma."
Link:
For more, click the following link:
here.
December 22, 2020
Rep. Jeanne Kapela questions DOE officials about COVID-19 response plan
Jeanne Kapela, representative-elect whose district runs from Na'alehu to Kailua-Kona,
asked if the DOE will provide extra personnel to disinfect frequently touched surfaces
at schools and personnel to run isolation areas for students experiencing COVID symptoms,
or if schools will have to pay for those services out of their own budgets.
"About 93, 94% or our budget is in the hands of schools," Kishimoto replied. "And so, what
we are doing is providing guidance around and support around how to think about staffing,
training the staff and making sure we hear from them what kind of training employee
groups need to do this well. We also highly rely on part-time workers, so it's really been
about re-deploying and hiring part-time staff to do different work, these days."
For more, click the following link:
DOE COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN.