Monthly Archives: January 2005

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu
2005 Bills

1. House Bill 526 – GET; 1% Increase; Oahu Light Rail Special Fund
a. Increases the general excise tax by 1% for 2 years from 7/1/05 to 6/30/07 and deposits the increased revenues into the Oahu light rail special fund to fund the start-up, operation, and maintenance of a light rail transport system on Oahu. Repeals tax increase on 6/30/2007.

2. House Bill 527 – Entrepreneurial Program; DOE ($)
a. Establishes an entrepreneurial program by the department of education to offer courses taught by teachers with a background in business.

3. House Bill 528 – Education; Parent Participation Program
a. Allows individual schools to establish a K-6 education parental participation program to increase parental involvement in education.

4. House Bill 529 – Academy of Hawaii; Gifted & Talented Students; Magnet E-Academy ($)
a. Requires the DOE to establish the academy of Hawaii for gifted and talented students in order to develop the potential of students who have demonstrated superior achievement or possess the potential for superior achievement through the provision of appropriate educational opportunities.

5. House Bill 530 – Elections; Nomination Papers
a. Prohibits the use of social security numbers to verify the identity of a person signing a candidate’s nomination papers.

6. House Bill 531 – State Funds; Linked Investments
a. Allows director of finance to invest up to 10% of state short-term investment moneys in linked investments. Sets procedures. Caps loans to $ . Limits uses of such loans. Restricts eligible borrowers to an entrepreneur in the State.

7. House Bill 532 – Film Facility; Hawaii-Based Productions; Rental Discount
a. Provides Hawaii-based television or film production businesses with a 50% discount on its standard lease rent for use of the State’s film facility.

8. House Bill 533 – Mass Transit; County General Excise and Use Tax
a. Authorizes county with population greater than 200,000 to impose 1% county general excise and use tax by adoption of ordinance no later than 6/30/2007 to fund county public light rail or similar mass transit. Repealed on 6/30/2009.

9. House Bill 534 – General Excise Tax; Exemption; Business
a. Provides a GET exemption to small businesses that derives at least 85% of their business from exports.

10. House Bill 535 – Comprehensive Health Coverage
a. Establishes a system of comprehensive health coverage that allows workers’ compensation, medical insurance, and no-fault personal injury protection coverages to use a single fee schedule and deliver services through managed care. Also establishes a pilot program for state and county employees to be administered by the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund.

11. House Bill 536 – Crimes; Impersonation of Another (There needs to be technical amendments to the language of this bill)
a. Establishes the offense of criminal impersonation, making it a misdemeanor to impersonate another and defame that person or place the person at risk of bodily injury.

12. House Bill 1161 – CIP; 41st Representative District ($)
a. Appropriates funds for capital improvement projects for the benefit of the 41st Representative District.

13. House Bill 1162 – Liquor Tax; Cooler Beverage (Rep. Karamatsu introduced the bill by request)
a. Amends the definition of “cooler beverage” to mean any liquor containing less than 7% alcohol by volume to which non-beverage flavorings, juices, water (plain, carbonated, or sparkling), colorings, or preservatives are added.

14. House Bill 1163 – Deposit Beverages; Mixed Spirits; Mixed Wine (Rep. Karamatsu introduced the bill by request)
a. Deletes “mixed spirits” and “mixed wine” from the definition of “deposit beverage” in the deposit beverage container program law.

15. House Bill 1164 – Harassment
a. Provides that harassment includes all computer communications.

16. House Bill 1165 – Harassment by Stalking; Computer Communication
a. Adds computer communication as a form of nonconsensual contact in the offense of harassment by stalking.

17. House Bill 1166 – Mechanics Lien (Rep. Karamatsu introduced the bill by request)
a. Grants contractors additional time to file a mechanic’s lien if they have previously given the owner a conditional lien release but have not subsequently received full payment.

18. House Bill 1167 – Expired Driver’s License; Penalty
a. Repeals the 30 day prison term for driving without a license for drivers whose license to operate mopeds, motor scooters, motorcycles, passenger cars, and trucks or vans having a gross vehicle weight rating of 15,000 pounds or less expired within the 90 days preceding the violation and imposes a maximum $1,000 fine instead.

19. House Bill 1168 – Crimes; Animal Cruelty
a. Creates the offense of aggravated animal cruelty, a class C felony if convicted three or more times for an animal cruelty offense within five years. Cockfighting is exempted.

20. House Bill 1169 – Sexual Assault 3rd Degree
a. Clarifies that a person commits the offense of sexual assault in the 3rd degree when the person causes another person under 14 years old to have sexual contact with the person under circumstances in which the actor’s conduct is likely to put the other person in fear of bodily injury (This bill clarifies the definition of sexual assault in the 3rd degree better to differentiate it from sexual harassment).

21. House Bill 1170 – Sexual Assault Fourth Degree
a. Clarifies that a person commits sexual assault in the 4th degree when the person causes another person to have sexual contact with the actor by compulsion under circumstances where the actor’s conduct is likely to put the other person in fear of bodily injury (This bill clarifies the definition of sexual assault in the 3rd degree better to differentiate it from sexual harassment).

22. House Bill 1171 – Crimes; Impersonation of Another
a. Establishes the offense of criminal impersonation, making it a misdemeanor to impersonate another person or place the person at risk of bodily injury.

23. House Bill 1172 – Workers’ Compensation; Coordinated Care Organizations
a. Regulates coordinated care organizations in the treatment of workers’ compensation injuries.

24. House Bill 1657 – Special Purpose Revenue Bonds; Hoku Scientific ($)
a. Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to assist Hoku Scientific.

For the next two years of my second term as a state representative, I will be serving as a Majority Whip and Vice Chair for the Tourism and Culture Committee. In addition, I am a member on the committees on Agriculture, Economic Development and Business Concerns, and Finance. By next week, I will list my bills for the 2005 legislative session.

The first day of 2005 was pretty good for me. My family had a potluck at my uncle's house on New Year's Eve. We popped fireworks welcoming the new year. I went home and fell asleep and woke up late in the morning and checked my business and was happy to see that I got a couple of sales. I went over to my parents house to eat ozoni for good luck. I found out that I was printed in the Honolulu Star Bulletin for the ethics bill I passed last legislative session.

That night I went to Governor George Ariyoshi's house for his New Year's dinner and met an old friend of my grandpa Maurice Karamatsu. He told me a number of nice stories about how he was so humble when he was vice president of Duty Free Shoppers (DFS). He explained that my grandpa would buy gifts for everyone. He would personally greet tour guides and drivers that brought tourists to DFS. Apparently, he had taken a liking to this person I met at the party when he was a young college student at UH Manoa from Japan who was working at Pan Am. My grandpa asked him how DFS could improve their bags for the travelers and this young person gave such good advice that my grandpa took him to DFS' board meeting and later offered him a job at DFS, which he politiely declined. I was honored to meet another friend of my grandpa's.

Later in the evening, a number of my close friends came by my place and relaxed. I am so excited for 2005!

My general 2005 Resolutions:
1. Work hard on my ideas for bettering Hawaii and pass at least one of my bills.
2. Increase the performance of my business.
3. Improve my personal finances.
4. Exercise regularly.
5. Gain more support for my political campaign.
6. Enjoy my family and friends.
7. Network.
8. Travel.