In July, I attended the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) in San Francisco. There were workshops on many issues, numerous speeches and social gatherings.
I was very impressed with a presentation on DNA testing for criminals. He is planning to get Hawaii more involved in this program, which would be very beneficial in stopping sexual assault offenders. At this time, Hawaii is not nationally accredited so much work is needed.
Following NCSL, I attended the Council on State Governments-West (CSG West) annual conference, which was held here in Honolulu, Hawaii. I enjoyed the communications workshop where I learned differences in communication between men and women and how personalities play a role in communication.
Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say asked me to attend a Child Support Symposium held by NCSL at Vail Colorado from September 10-14, 2003. In addition, the CSG-West organization selected me to attend their Western Legislative Academy (WLA) at Colorado Springs, Colorado in October 2003. This is an intense leadership training conference. Only 40-something state politicians across the western United States are chosen for this selective conference.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 