Aloha,

I have had the honor of serving as your Lieutenant Governor for the past year, and I am pleased to report that it has been a productive year for my office. We have memorialized our major activities and initiatives in an Annual Report which I would like to share with you today.

The Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai‘i has essentially two legal mandates in the operation of his or her office. The first is to serve as the assistant chief executive, becoming Acting Governor upon the Governor’s absence from the state. The second, as the legally designated Secretary of State, is to manage specific services for the public.

When this administration took office in December of 2010, Governor Abercrombie asked that I assume additional responsibilities in the form of special projects and initiatives assigned to me by the Governor. An overarching principal in the selection of initiatives was that they help guide the State through its period of economic recovery.

In a phrase, our objective was to stretch the office so we could work collaboratively with both government agencies and the private sector to focus on key targets.

Our Annual Report covers service improvements made within our office, the Hawai‘i Fair Share Initiative, the significance of hosting APEC, disaster relief, China trade and travel activities and initial efforts to make Hawai‘i the home for the Obama Presidential Center.

The Governor’s vision to utilize my office to the fullest is derived from his continued commitment to make the best use of governmental resources. We face challenges ahead. But there is a lot to build on after this first year, and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Hawai‘i into the future.

Aloha,

Brian Schatz Lieutenant Governor, State of Hawai‘i