Environment

This Jones Act is a 90-year old anachronistic law. It is basically protectionist legislation that limits ships operating in U.S. water to American-flagged vessels. Under normal circumstances in the past there might be some justification for this; but with the situation in the Gulf: we need to stop the spill, we need to clean up the mess and we need to do everything we can to hold BP accountable.

On the campaign trail, I pledged to listen to my constituents.  To that end, I asked my constituents about the issues that Congress is likely to vote on in the next few months.  I also held a live telephone “talk story” and had the privilege of hearing the thoughts and concerns of thousands of my constituents in the 1st congressional district.  I also plan on holding eight “talk stories” throughout the State in early July.

“The biggest concern I hear about on a regular basis from my constituents is the out-of-control spending in Washington, D.C.  We’re simply spending too much money on programs that don’t work with no plan to pay it back. This is irresponsible."

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today released three lists of nominees for three circuit court judges that were provided to her by the Judicial Selection Commission.   The nominees, some of whom are on more than one list, will fill three vacancies on the Circuit Court of the First Circuit which covers the island of O‘ahu.  The Governor is inviting the public to submit comments on the nominees as part of her review and selection process.

In order to avoid a vote on the record trillion-dollar deficits they are responsible for accumulating since taking office, Democrats have confirmed that they will be the first House majority that has failed to pass an annual budget resolution since the Congressional Budget Act was adopted in 1974.

  ILWU: Just another servant of Islamism.

The Star Advertiser today reported that 85% of the respondents are asking for a veto!

HB444 HD1 SD1 RELATING TO CIVIL UNIONS.

Veto Explanation:        Extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union.

When we compare how Duke Aiona performs against either of his potential opponents in a general election for Governor, we find that in both cases the race is too close to call.  Indeed, both ballot results are within the margin of error of the survey.  But it is hard to ignore the fact that Duke Aiona actually leads Mufi Hannemann (+4) and is not very far behind with Neil Abercrombie (-3).

 Rep. Djou At the Ewa Hongwangi Bon Dance

Alaska and Texas chose not to apply for Race to the Top funding because of the provision requiring adoption of national standards.

Both Minnesota and Virginia argue that their state standards are stronger than the proposed national standards supported with federal dollars.

But if the Obama administration has its way, states might not have a choice in the matter. The U.S. Education Department recently released a "blueprint" for reauthorizing No Child Left Behind. The blueprint language indicates the administration will try to tie $14.5 billion in money for low-income school districts to a state's adoption of national standards.

Federal law has also hampered the assistance. The Jones Act, the maritime law that requires all goods be carried in U.S. waters by U.S.-flagged ships, has prevented Dutch ships with spill-fighting equipment from entering U.S. coastal areas.

“What's wrong with accepting outside help?” Visser asked. “If there's a country that's experienced with building dikes and managing water, it's the Netherlands.”

Even if, three days after the rig exploded, it seemed as if the Dutch equipment and expertise wasn't needed, wouldn't it have been better to accept it, to err on the side of having too many resources available rather than not enough?

BP has been inundated with well-intentioned cleanup suggestions, but the Dutch offer was different. It came through official channels, from a government offering to share its demonstrated expertise.

Continuing her mission in Asia, Governor Lingle is in Japan and met yesterday with Minister Seiji Maehara of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).  The Governor thanked Maehara-san for his support of internationalizing Haneda Airport.  In October, Hawai`i will welcome daily flights by Hawaiian and Japan Airlines with the opening of the new runway at Haneda Airport.

On March 29, 2010, the first meeting of the Hawai‘i-Okinawa Task Force was held in Honolulu.  Top-level officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, Prefecture of Okinawa, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, New Energy Technology Department, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawai‘i State Energy Office, Department of Defense, and national laboratory representatives met to discuss the acceleration of renewable energy technologies and  energy efficiency, and evaluate the achievements of existing clean energy projects to enable the islands to be energy independent.  Initiation of several joint projects resulted from that meeting.

"Through the groundbreaking Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, our state is leading the way toward an energy-secure and self-sufficient future," said Lt. Governor Aiona, who delivered the keynote address at the Hawai‘i-Okinawa Task Force meeting.

She was joined by Ann Wright, 63, of Honolulu, Hawaii, who wore a BP hard hat, overalls and sunglasses adorned with dollar signs.

"BP doesn't really care about this," she said, pulling out an oil-stained rubber ducky.

The Jones Act may also have played a role in delaying the construction of sand barriers to protect the fragile Louisiana coast. Mr. Visser, the Dutch consul, says American dredging companies, which lack the dike-building expertise of the Dutch, rebuffed Dutch offers of help, which might have meant running afoul of the Jones Act.

For the longer term, Mr. Djou is about to introduce a bill to exempt his home state of Hawaii from the law. Hawaii is hit hardest by the law because most goods arrive by sea. Despite the political power of unions locally, Mr. Djou is pressing forward.

The commission may go beyond the allegations made by the complainant if investigators feel there are any other irregularities.

“We could add additional counts to the complaint or file an additional complaint. At my discretion, I can file a complaint,” Wong said. “The commission has the opportunity to decide whether there is probable cause that a violation or violations occurred, whether to dismiss the complaint, whether to ask for additional investigation or whether to refer it to the prosecutor."

A prosecutor gets involved only in cases where willful or intentional violations are found. According to state statute any person who knowingly, intentionally or recklessly violates any provision of campaign spending law faces a misdemeanor. Anyone who knowingly or intentionally falsifies any report required with the intent to circumvent the law or deceive the commission faces a class C felony.

  The authors admit to working at Honolulu Hale.

In fiscal year 2009, 4,043 persons were moved into permanent housing through State homeless programs. During the same year, 11,680 homeless people received services from eight outreach provider agencies throughout the State, and 9,483 homeless people utilized services at homeless shelters.

It is significant to note that the total statewide homeless count increased by less than one percent (52 individuals) since the previous count in January 2009. This occurred despite significant job losses and reductions in work hours due to the unprecedented economic downturn in State history.

In the evening, Governor Lingle was the honored guest of the China Diplomatic Friendship Association and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce banquet held in the Great Hall of the People, China's capitol building.  The special guest at this event was Lu Yong Xiang, vice chairman of the Chinese People’s National Congress and head of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences.  Vice Chairman Lu recently returned from visiting Mauna Kea on the Big Island, the site of the forthcoming Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).  China intends to be a collaborative partner in the TMT project. 

Mr. Lu believes China and Hawai‘i have a great opportunity to work together in scientific explorations.  As he stated, “Hawai‘i can see the cosmos and the vast oceans—so its horizons are unlimited.”  Mr. Lu praised Governor Lingle for her foresight in establishing strong relationships with China, demonstrated by her four trips to the country during her administration.

The law signed yesterday by Acting Governor Duke Aiona mandating 180 days school has shifted the methodology being used by the BoE/DoE/HSTA hostage takers.

VIDEO: Republican Congressman Charles Djou, Hawaii, and Jessica Brady, Roll Call reporter, discuss Obama's first Oval Office address regarding the Gulf Oil spill.

“I am disappointed, however, that the President has failed to waive the Jones Act for foreign ships, who want to assist in the clean-up efforts. There is no good reason to turn away international help in responding to this environmental catastrophe.

“Nevertheless, I look forward to working with President Obama to temper the House energy bill and craft a sensible long-term energy strategy for America that makes sense for our economy.”

Washington- With two months passed since their April 15 deadline and still no budget produced by Washington Democrats, the majority in Congress continues to miss opportunities to rein in government spending and provide the fiscal discipline needed to create jobs and grow a healthy economy. Since the Congressional Budget Act was adopted in 1974, the House has never failed to pass a budget resolution, but Colleen Hanabusa and her Washington friends continue to forge ahead with their out-of-control spending spree and still no budget resolution in sight.

Hawaii GOP Rep. Charles Djou, who won his seat in a special election last month, says he's "disappointed" that Mr. Obama has failed to waive the Jones Act, an antiquated 1920 law mandating that goods shipped between U.S. ports be handled by U.S.-built and -owned ships manned by U.S. crews. Unions fiercely support the law as a means of preserving U.S. jobs. In this case, though, the law might be hindering the recovery of hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast jobs.

POLITICO: Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, the National Republican Congressional Committee's incumbent retention chair, urged PAC leaders at a briefing Monday to focus on helping just nine GOP members of Congress shore up their bids for re-election, telling attendees that the committee's work had already shielded a substantial group of members from facing any serious challenge in 2010.

"A year and a half ago, I was giving you the names of 30 members and you know what? It worked," Rogers said, according to a source familiar with his remarks. "We feel strongly at this point that only nine incumbents need your help to withstand the attacks by the DCCC and their allies."

“Hawai‘i is the only State in the nation that does not set by statute the minimum number of hours of instructional time a public school student should receive,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “Our families, principals and teachers deserve a public school system that ensures our students have the tools and classroom time needed to succeed.”

Hawai‘i has the shortest amount of instructional time in the nation – 4 hours and 43 minutes per day.  Thirty-two states average 5-and-a-half hours per day of instructional time (990 hours per school year) and 16 states mandate a minimum of 6 hours of instruction per day (1,080 hours per school year).

Yesterday in Beijing, the Governor had a private meeting with Ambassador Jon Huntsman at the U.S. Embassy. During this hour and a half discussion, the Ambassador and Governor discussed the importance of establishing a protocol for the processing of visas for Chinese who want to visit Hawai`i on charter flights going directly from cities such as Shanghai and Beijing to Honolulu.

It is unfortunate that State Rep. Tom Brower believes Lt. Governor Duke Aiona, as acting Governor, should sign or veto the civil unions bill (HB 444) behind the back of Governor Linda Lingle while she is on an economic mission to China.

Brower should not be doling out political advice, especially since he voted for HB 444 only days before turning on his Democrat colleagues for reviving the issue.

While Brower’s deceptive politics may pass in a State Legislature overrun with 90 percent of its members from one party, Lt. Governor Duke Aiona believes government works best with balance, integrity and accountability.

HONOLULU — Lt. Governor Aiona today signed into law Senate Bill 2897, as acting governor, which strengthens the ignition interlock law in Hawai‘i.

“This measure provides resources to improve our efforts to stop impaired driving and the tragedies that result from drunk driving,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “Most of the injuries, fatalities and property damage caused by drunk drivers are preventable and we must keep these drivers off of our highways.”

With the DCCC’s help Ed Case came in dead last.  And now, they are going to do the same for “longtime insider” Hanabusa.  A DCCC news release sent out this morning announces Hanabusa is being included in the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program....

“Over the course of the past two years of a Democrat-led supermajority, Colleen Hanabusa and her Washington friends have pushed the economy into a jobless recovery by supporting an anti-jobs, anti-small-business agenda at the expense of a healthy economy,”

The government cannot fix the economy and it cannot create real jobs. Only you, the citizen, can do that. The new Maui County Mayor must make county government work better with less money and must serve you in a fast and fair manner. The new Mayor must get the county out of your way so you can get on with the job of rebuilding our economy.

As Mayor of Maui County, I will do what we need right now to help get our economy moving again. I will rein in government. I will shrink taxes to put money back in your pocket where it belongs. I will apply county regulations so that the economy can grow and our people can prosper once again.

Financially pressed states might have to return $1.1 billion to Big Tobacco this year, if a review finds the states aren't trying hard enough to keep a 12-year-old legal settlement from hurting the companies too much.

This summer, states and the nation's Big Three tobacco firms will begin arbitrating a dispute over 2003 payments made under the settlement, the companies have disclosed in financial filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sums ranging from $705 million to $1.1 billion for each of the subsequent years also are headed for arbitration.

An uncomfortable Neil Abercrombie receiving Hawaii TEA Party Bumper sticker from HTP President Brett Glass

"Lerner: Col. Wright I just want to make sure again – so you actually were on a different boat and did not witness the attack firsthand."

Wright: That's correct.

On the Failure of Congress to Pass a Budget:

“A perfect representation of the problems we have here on Capitol Hill is the failure of Congress to pass a budget. I mean, that’s one of the most basic things any private business, any family would do to get its fiscal house in order. But here in the United States Congress we have yet to pass a budget and it’s already mid-June. This is irresponsible.”

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles Djou (HI-01) issued the following statement today reacting to the selection of AECOM as the EIS contractor for the Big Wind Project....

"The Honolulu Mayor has used taxpayer dollars to advocate for the reckless rail transit project, he raked in more than $200,000 from donors linked to government contractors in the last six months of 2009, and now he's raising big money from consultants seeking rail contracts.  While he's whacking the rail transit piñata for all the goodies he can get, he's raising property taxes and increasing fees on just about every other service the city provides.  Is this the kind of leadership Hawaii deserves?"

“We must ensure that the connection between the United States and the Philippines remains strong. One of my priorities in Congress is to strengthen our nation’s ties to the Philippines and expand the number of visas that our government issues, particularly to the Philippines,” Djou continued.

But unlike the federal takeover of the banking and health care industry, this time around Obama and his liberal allies are shrewdly avoiding another public fight by moving their education agenda forward without even going through Congress. The administration is supporting a move to implement national education standards, using the $4.35 billion Race to the Top grant program to secure those ends. National standards will give the federal government – not parents – more power over education. Now, instead of petitioning their local schools boards for curriculum changes, parents will have to trek to Washington to lobby D.C. bureaucrats for input in the content taught at their children’s school.

The Executive Committee of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, respectfully recommends the veto of HB444....

June 11 (Bloomberg) -- Seven states will run out of money to pay public pensions by 2020. That hasn’t stopped them from hiring new employees.

The seven are Illinois, Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, Hawaii, Louisiana and Oklahoma....

The pension plans sponsored by states and municipalities will place a substantial burden on state and local public finances in the near future. My recent work has estimated that the present value of already-promised state pension benefits is over $5 trillion when the benefit payments are discounted using Treasury yields, compared to a little over $2 trillion in pension fund assets. Most state constitutions offer special protections to pension benefits that state workers have already earned.

This analysis raises the question of how soon such a situation might lead to an all-out state and municipal fiscal crisis. One important day of reckoning is the day that the state pension funds run out of money. At that point, pension payments to retirees will have to come out of general revenues. This day of reckoning is in fact not as far away as some might imagine. For Illinois, it could be as soon as 2018.  (For Hawaii it is 2020.)

The undersea interisland cable is one component of the Interisland Wind Initiative, which includes the development of wind farms in Maui County, the development of the undersea cable, and the utility infrastructure upgrades that would allow the integration of a renewable energy electrical grid. 

RepCharlesDjou — June 10, 2010 — Congressman Djou gave the following speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives discussing the nation's fiscal situation and the need for a budget that puts our nation's fiscal house in order.