Setting the Record Straight

Every year, the legislature introduces over 4000 bills--as you might imagine, many legislators do not read every bill before they vote. In fact, many debate days are only agree days. I make it a habit to stand up and speak out on the floor of the Senate because I believe that our legislature should not be one of consensus. I read every bill before I vote on it and I explain for the record why I vote the way I vote.

This past week, my opponent sent a mailer to district constituents questioning my voting record during the 2008 legislative session. While most of the vote record is correct, the bills do not match the issues paired with it. In fact, my opponent's mailer only demostrated his lack of capacity to fully understand the issues he would face as Senator.

Below is a list of the bills mentioned in his mailer and a link to the actual bill. I think if you take the time to read my reasoning, you will understand why I voted the way that I did. Thank you for you interest in this important race and don't forget to vote on November 4th.


  • Brickwood said that I voted against pedestrian safety...
  • This is patently false. I voted for House Bill 357 because the constituents in my district spoke out in favor of this bill and our state needs infrastructure improvements to keep our streets safe.
  • He said that I voted against the "repair and maintenance of schools"...
  • HB2500 was the Executive Supplemental Budget--my reason for voting against this bill had nothing to do with school facilities. I opposed this bill because the spending was more than we can afford. Next year, the legislature will have to cut the programs that our most vulnerable populations rely upon because other legislators did not listen to me and exercise fiscal restraint last year. There were dozens of other appropriation bills during the session in addition to this expensive bill. I also spoke against this bill because the State holds an unfunded obligation of $5.1 Billion to State retirees. We need to start to save to fulfill our future obligation.
  • He said that I voted against "affordable housing"...
  • I voted against Senate Bill 2294 because it was a poorly written bill that would have resulted in fewer affordable units being built. It died before reaching the Senate floor because of the points I made on the floor and in committee hearings and because of the overwhelming testimony against the bill. Raising the reserve requirement in Kaka'ako would only result in development outside of the district.
  • He said that I voted against "clean energy"...
  • I voted against SB 644 because this mandate would increase the price of new housing and increase the cost of repair, replacement and future installation of solar water-heating units. Large developers will buy from out-of-state suppliers and our local solar water heater dealers would decrease, making it more expensive for you when you want to retrofit your home. Lastly, the bill was also ineffective as it contained many loopholes. Click here for an op-ed on this topic.
  • He said that I voted against "recycling"...
  • I voted against SB 651 because it was a bad bill that forced retailers to collect plastic bags. This bill died before the final vote in the Senate because my Democrat colleagues agreed with me that plastic bags have multiple uses after leaving the store--like packaging garbage and carrying other items. The bill also did not uniformly apply to all retail establishments.
  • He said that I voted against "early childhood education"...
  • SB2878 was vetoed by the governor. I voted against it because it did not create early learning. This bill would have effectively created another Department of Education in a time when we can not afford to increase state bureaucracy. This is not progress, but a giant step backwards. We need to clean up the problems we have before creating new ones.
  • He said that I voted against "Keiki Health Insurance"...
  • SB69 provided health insurance to children of laid-off Aloha Airlines employees. I voted against this bill because it did not include any standards for eligibility and only applied to a specific group. What about the children of Molokai Ranch, ATA and Weyerhauser? What about the children who will be uninsured in the next few months?
  • Other Bills:
  • I voted against SB2245 which made it illegal to leave a child alone in a car for more than five minutes. For one, this bill was not supported by the testimony in hearing. Chidren are more often harmed by playing in the street or even being left at home alone, yet the bill only targeted these specific circumstances. This bill allowed law enforcement to take custody and remove an unattended child after five minutes--a surely traumatizing experience. Further, if we are truly concerned about endangerment in vehicles, we need to consider the rights of other vulnerable people like the elderly. This bill was neither appropriate nor effective.

  • HB 2346 was originally intended to implicate breast feeding mothers with child endangerment if they take drugs while nursing their babies. I voted against the bill because by the time it had reached its final draft, this purpose was taken out of the bill. The intent is important, but it wasn't accomplished in the end.