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FEBRUARY 2021
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January 2023
JUNE 2021
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February 2023

In the Media

Rep. Kapela Continues to Push for Paid Family Leave

Efforts to establish a family leave system in Hawaii similar to unemployment insurance have died again at the state Capitol. The issue was deferred for the year just as the Hawai'i Working Families Coalition organized a rally for working families. 

"No family should have to suffer or open a GoFundMe account on social media and beg for funding because they cannot afford to live in this state because they’ve had a child," Kapela told a gathering of workers and advocates.

Rep. Jeanne Kapela Sponsors Bill to Make Community College Free

House Bill 78 and its companion, Senate Bill 172, would expand the Hawaii Promise program, a “last dollar" scholarship providing free in-state tuition for University of Hawaii community college students. 

"This bill would make community college free for all Hawaii residents," said Big Island Rep. Jeanne Kapela, a Democrat who introduced the bill. "For me, this measure is a matter of basic educational equity. We need to make sure that all of Hawaii’s children have access to the same opportunities to achieve financial security and learn the skills necessary to participate in the 21st century workplace."

Want To Give Our Kids A Future? Change The Way We Tax Wealth

"Our current budget surplus is temporary. Consider that a one-time, $300 million investment in affordable housing can create roughly 1,500 affordable housing units. But we need more than 50,000 affordable housing units in the next three years just to catch up to our current demand. 

We need a dedicated revenue stream — year after year — to deliver on the promise of opportunity for our people. 

Instead of allowing our tax system to deepen wealth and income inequality — harming our democracy and putting the quality of our collective future at risk—we propose that our colleagues in the Capitol join us in embracing tax fairness, and in asking the rich to pay a fair share to fund our future."

Hawai'i Tax Fairness Coalition event supports higher taxes for ultra-wealthy

Representative Jeanne Kapela said, "Hawai'i deserves tax justice. We know what our working families are struggling to put food on the table, to keep a roof over their heads, while some of the wealthiest among us are not paying their fair share of taxes."  

Kapela added, "We're here joining along other states, six other states who are fighting for tax justice, the federal government is not going to put forward proposals that uplift working families, but yet saddle taxes on working families, then we're going to make sure we're going in at the state level."

Rep. Kapela pushes to legalize recreational cannabis in Hawai'i

Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Volcano-­Naalehu-Hawaiian Ocean View) has drafted a bill slated for introduction and aimed at permitting the legal use of cannabis by adults 21 or older beyond already regulated medical use under a system that would allow cultivation, retail sales and special taxation. 

"It is time to stop making excuses," Rep. Kapela said in the rotunda of the state Capitol. “It is time to stop playing games with the lives of Hawaii’s families who have been harmed by our state’s rabid devotion to prosecuting cannabis use.”

Rep. Jeanne Kapela calls for more affordable housing for Hawai'i Island

Despite the threats of hurricanes, tsunamis, vog, earthquakes — and now another eruption from Mauna Loa — people continue to move to the more affordable areas of Hawaii island, including the Leilani Estates subdivision that was overrun by Kilauea lava in 2018. The reasons for buying vary among newcomers, retirees and working local families: the allure of living among 11 of the planet’s 13 ecosystems; the offer of cooler climates depending on the elevation on Hawaii island’s volcanic slopes (there are five); and, most importantly, more land and more house at less cost. 

The risks that people are willing to take under the threat of multiple natural disasters ultimately underscore the need for more affordable housing all across Hawaii, said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D-5). “They’re moving to what I call crisis areas that are dangerous,” Kapela said. “We need to build truly affordable housing. The lack of access to housing only contributes to the brain drain. Your family can’t thrive when you’re just working to survive.”

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 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.”

Supporters rally to raise minimum wage to $18 as bill advances back to House

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.

At a Labor for Living Wages rally at the Hawai’i State Capitol on Wednesday, Kona Rep. Jeanne Kapela said current wages cannot begin to satisfy the state’s highest cost-of-living standards in the nation.

“Our current minimum wage of $10.10 is not enough,” Kapela said. “A minimum wage worker currently has to work close to three full-time jobs – or 114 hours a week – just to afford a one-bedroom apartment in our islands. We know that working families are being priced out of paradise. They can't afford to keep a roof over their head or feed their children.”

Resolution moves forward to change name of Captain Cook town on Big Island

Now the tide of history is turning again.  State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D - Kailua-Kona, Kealakekua, Ocean View, Captain Cook) is behind a resolution to change the name of the town back to Ka'awaloa.

"The logistics are not only changing not only the post office name but changing the signage of places in the district that reference Captain Cook that would then be changed back to Ka'awaloa and so having the support of our county council is incredibly important because a lot of those changes happen at the county level," she says.

Resolution moves forward to change name of Captain Cook town on Big Island

Now the tide of history is turning again.  State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D - Kailua-Kona, Kealakekua, Ocean View, Captain Cook) is behind a resolution to change the name of the town back to Ka'awaloa.

"The logistics are not only changing not only the post office name but changing the signage of places in the district that reference Captain Cook that would then be changed back to Ka'awaloa and so having the support of our county council is incredibly important because a lot of those changes happen at the county level," she says.

Legislators Aim to Combat Discrimination In Pacific Island Communities

State legislators have introduced House Resolution 159 which urges the governor to implement programs and training to combat discrimination against Pacific Island communities. In 2020, there were 35 hate crimes recorded in the state, and 31 of those were based on race, ethnicity or ancestry.

 

The resolution – which condemns racial and cultural discrimination, violence, and defamation against Pacific communities – will push for more efforts for diversity training at the workplace, in government offices, and in schools.

 

Rep. Jeanne Kapela said she links discrimination in the state to its history of settler colonialism as well as the nation’s military-industrial complex. “There are two types of residents in our state,” Kapela. “Those who call Hawai’i their forever home, and those that will be forever visitors.”

Canceling Captain Cook? Resolution seeks to rename South Kona town

The town of Captain Cook on Hawaii Island got it’s name when the Captain Cook Sugar Company opened a post office there in the early 1900′s.

But some feel it is an honor for a controversial figure who doesn’t deserve it.

 

“Captain Cook was a place far before Captain Cook the explorer came and found Hawaii,” said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D-Kailua-Kona, Kealakekua, Captain Cook). “Hawaii was a community, a culture with a rich history. And we’re honoring that by returning it to its place name Ka’awaloa.”

Proposal could give Hawaii high school students, teachers LGBTQ-inclusive training

The proposal calls for teaching high school students positive and accurate representations of the LGBTQ community and other gender identities. But some lawmakers are concerned of overreach and the lack of an opt-out option.

Rep. Jeanne Kapela voted in support of the bill and said it is a student-driven idea.

 

“This is a bill specifically that youth from across the state have pushed for. This was their number one priority that they asked for,” Rep. Kapela said. “And I think it’s incumbent upon us to really listen to what our youth want.”

 

Rep. Kapela said a big part of the proposal is geared toward educators — informing them of how to create safe spaces for every student.

School bus driver staffing shortage hits Big Island

The current shortage has sent the Department of Education brainstorming for creative solutions from enlisting county municipal transportation to organizing a shuttle service. Liability issues, however, have stood in the way.

 

The situation has left parents to having to work out their own car pools; And it had some lawmakers questioning the system's limitations.

 

"Don't you think it's time we follow other schools across the country?" asked Representative Jeanne Kapela in regards to a return to distance learning.

 

Superintendent Keith Hayashi says there isn't a one size fits all solution. Hayashi says three schools since winter break have transitioned to distance learning only temporarily when a staffing situation dictated the move.

East vs. West: Who should get the eighth House seat?

The commission proposal splits Kailua-Kona in two, a division that concerned Rep. Jeanné Kapela, a Democrat who currently covers the sprawling Ka‘u District.

The commission’s proposed map makes her district even bigger she said. While it takes her about an hour and a half to drive to Naalehu, it would take her three hours to drive all the way to Keaau, she said.

 

“Whoever has that seat would end up representing 40% of the Big Island,” Kapela said. “There’s absolutely no way that anyone, any representative, can represent a district that is so enormous land wise and so diverse.”

Is The Hawaii Legislature Ready To Give Teachers A Raise?

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.”

New caucus focuses on issues facing working families

During the upcoming legislative session, the Working Families Caucus will sponsor five bills. They focus on raising the minimum wage, paid sick and family leave, the earned income tax credit, renter’s credit and exempting unemployment payments from personal income tax.

“COVID really changed the landscape. We saw so many people suffer, and it's unconscionable that even now, in basically three years into a pandemic, there are workers that had don't have access to paid sick leave," Kapela told HPR. "So we've seen this divide and this gap grow through COVID. And I think the legislature recognizes that. 

 

"And I think that we can't wait any longer because if we do, the gap's just gonna get bigger and more people are going to continue to suffer. And more of these people are going to choose to leave because they can't afford to stay in our state. They can't afford to stay in their homeland. And we can't allow that to happen,” Kapela said.

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). 

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." 

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." 

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."

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."

Contact

Hawaii State Capitol

415 S. Beretania St., Rm. 418

Honolulu, HI 96813

​​

Tel: 808-586-9605

repkapela@capitol.hawaii.gov

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