Hawaii State Senate confirms James H. Ashford as a district judge for the First Circuit, located on Oahu.
(Photo Courtesy: Senate Communications.)
In the spirit of collaboration, House and Senate conferees today struck a balance passing out several conference drafts that support the people of Hawaii and protect and preserve the land that they live. The bills now goes to the full Senate and House for a final floor vote.
"The Legislature for the third year in a row worked efficiently and effectively to end conference negotiations on time," said Senate President Donna Mercado Kim. "In the past, certain bills required extending the deadline for negotiations. Efficiency is important to the Senate as we continue to do work for the people of Hawaii."
Increasing Minimum Wage
Senate Bill 2609 will boost the income of Hawaii's lowest paid workers giving them more money to spend and invest, increasing economic activity and growth, while allowing them to care for their families. The final version of the bill increases the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over the next four years. For workers who earn at least $7 more than the minimum wage, businesses can deduct a 75 cents tip credit. The current tip credit is 50 cents.
"From the start of the session, the Hawaii State Senate has been committed to improving the lives of Hawaii's people and raising the minimum wage is just one of the measures that will do just that," said Sen. Clayton Hee, Judiciary Chair. "Raising the minimum wage is not only good for Hawaii's people, it's the right thing to do and makes good economic sense. My colleagues and our counterparts in the House worked tirelessly to work out differences and through compromise were successful in approving this much-needed piece of legislation."
Preserving Hawaii's Lands
House Bill 2434 will provide the $40 million needed to complete the agreement reached last week between the State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu, The Trust for Public Land, and Turtle Bay Resort (TBR) to establish a conservation easement on 665.8 acres of land at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku.
"The Senate has always been committed to funding this important conservation easement on the North Shore," said Sen. David Ige, Ways and Means Chair. "This session and last, we advanced legislation funding the agreement, and were ready to include the $40 million in the state budget. I'm pleased with the result and thank those members who worked quickly and diligently to pass out this bill before the deadline."
State Supplemental Budget
HB1700 includes funding for core services such as education, health, the University of Hawaii, human services, the environment, public safety, and supporting and caring for the lives of Hawaii's people. Through prudent money management, and in order to reflect the weak economic forecast, lawmakers reduced Gov. Neil Abercrombie's executive budget request by $173 million in general funds over fiscal biennium 2013-15. The governor's $200 million budget request for FY2015 was significantly cut down to $65.7 million.
Funding for capital improvement projects amounted to just over $5 billion, of which $2.3 billion is funded in general obligation (GO) or reimbursable bonds. This number includes the lapse and reauthorization of $339 million in GO Bonds for the State Educational Facilities Improvement (SEFI) Fund. The budget includes $40 million for grant-in-aid (GIA).
"Education was a real winner in this bill," said Ige. "We were able to make key investments at every level ensuring that our students have the best access to quality education. We also made investments to protect our agriculture lands by adding positions to the pesticides branch in the Department of Agriculture, funded many key programs in other areas and closed on time with a balanced and fair budget despite challenges."
JOINT MAJORITY PACKAGE BILLS
Supporting Hawaii's Kūpuna
HB1713 SD2 and SB2346 SD1 HD2 supports Hawaii's kūpuna through funding of aging, long-term care and investor education programs.
Protecting the Environment
HB1714 establishes an interagency sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation committee under the State Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The final joint majority package bill, HB1716, which appropriates $5 million to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council for invasive species prevention, control, outreach, research, and planning, passed out of committee earlier this month.
"The Senate and House members of the 2014 legislative session put forth a joint majority package that addresses the combined interests and priorities of our State and I am pleased that the remaining three bills in the package have made it out of conference," said Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria. "These bills support the present and future of our state as it supports our kūpuna and addresses the effects of climate change for our future generation. Here in Hawaii, we are lucky to live in a place that cherishes our culture, traditions and environment, and protecting those ideals is one of our duties as lawmakers."
In a special session, the Hawaii State Senate today confirmed James H. Ashford as District Judge of the First Circuit, located on Oahu. He was nominated by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald and was subject to Senate confirmation. Judge Ashford fills the vacancy created by the selection of Dean Ochiai as First Circuit Court judge.
"A son of Hawaii and of a well known attorney, Judge Ashford has shown himself to be an individual of great candor. With his appointment I believe that the people of Oahu will be well-served," said Senator Clayton Hee, who chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor.
Ashford currently serves as a partner at the law firm of Cades Schutte, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation, including real estate disputes, employment law, construction and condominium disputes, trust and estate litigation and education law. He has tried more than 20 cases in state and federal court and is a regular speaker at litigation and employment law seminars in Hawaii and on the mainland.
Ashford earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Loyola Law School.
He will serve a term of six years. View the media release.
On May 2nd, the 2013 Legislative Session officially came to a close and I would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve the last truly rural district on Oahu.
No Na Mamo, this year's Senate Majority theme meaning "for all generations," provided me the focus on the bills heard and passed by the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor, for which I serve as Chairman.
The Judiciary and Labor Committee focused on measures to improve Hawaii's penal code to provide greater protection for the people of Hawaii, strengthen animal cruelty laws, implement further employee rights within the workforce, and continue our effort in preserving Native Hawaiian rights.
Although the 2013 Legislative Session brought with it new leadership in both the House and Senate, I believe we made a step in the right direction to laying a solid foundation to build a stronger economy and move Hawaii forward for all generations for the remainder of the biennium.
Mahalo,
Clayton Hee
Click here to read the 2013 Session Overview.
Read the article in the Saipan Tribune.
Read the article in the Marianas Variety.
(Saipan Tribune) "Hawaiian State Senator Clayton Hee, the author of the bill that became the strongest anti-shark finning law in the nation, is drumming up support for a similar CNMI House bill pending at the Senate..." View the full article at the Saipan Tribune.