Monthly Archives: February 2010

I’ve been so busy chairing the House Judiciary Committee and campaigning for Lt. Governor that I haven’t been able to keep up with posting my schedule and reviewing emails. This week, I will dedicate time to update my posts and emails.

Good judiciary hearing yesterday.  I spoke on Channel 2 News regarding graffiti.

– YODA

I have personally greeted approximately 26,000 people between June 1, 2009 and February 14, 2010.

February 14, 2010 was the best Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year.  I met about 900 people with my campaign manager Brandon.  We have a natural rush from all the adrelanine we get from campaigning.  The two of us love politics so much.  We live it 24-hours a day.  We will keep hustling the events, parks, and streets in a way that has never been done before in the United States since the beginning of politics; that is one of our biggest campaign goals and a key component of our campaign mission.  Like a runner always trying to beat his or her best time, we are always trying to beat our best campaign efforts.

I ran the Great Aloha Run on Monday, February 15, 2010.  I am happy I beat last year’s time.  Last year I was suffering pain in my right knee.  This year, I felt much better despite not being able to train at all.

I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to post my daily schedule. Despite my busy legislative, business, and community schedule, I have been able to continue my grassroots campaign throughout the state. I have personally greeted approximately 25,000 people between June 1, 2009 and February 6, 2010.

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu’s 2010 Bills

HB2247
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Health; Incentive Programs
Directs the department of health to conduct a study on health habit incentive programs used by governments and private industry.

 

HB2248 HD1
RELATING TO THE UNIFORM ADULT GUARDIANSHIP AND PROTECTIVE PROCEEDINGS JURISDICTION ACT.
Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act
Establishes rules to determine which state has jurisdiction in guardianship and conservatorship cases where person has contacts with more than one state. (HB2248 HD1)

 

HB2249
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Elections; Campaign Contributions
Provides that it is unlawful for persons exempt from competitive solicitation for State or county contracts to make contributions to candidate committees, noncandidate committees, or candidates or to knowingly solicit contributions from any person for any purpose. Permits the establishment or administration of, or solicitation of contributions to, any noncandidate committee.

 

HB2250 HD1
RELATING TO THE UNIFORM CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION ACT.
Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act
Establishes comprehensive child abduction prevention law. Lists factors to determine risk of abduction, and establishes measures courts may include in order to prevent abduction both before and after issuance of child custody decrees.

 

HB2251 HD1
RELATING TO GAMING.
Casino Gaming
Establishes a gaming commission to oversee casino gaming. Allows the gaming commission to issue one 5-year license to a casino gaming operation in a county with a population of more than 500,000. Limits casino gaming to persons over 21. Creates a wagering tax on casino gaming. (HB2251 HD1)

 

HB2252
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
Agricultural Lands
Protects agriculturally suitable lands on Oahu (lands with productivity ratings of “A” or “B”). Provides for mandatory extension of agricultural leases.

 

HB2253
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
Relating to Agricultural Lands
Allows designation of important agricultural lands by the legislature.

 

HB2254 HD1
RELATING TO COMPUTER SECURITY.
Computer Crimes; Unauthorized Installation of Software
Makes it a class C felony for an unauthorized user of a computer to cause installation of computer software through misrepresentation or deception. Authorizes the attorney general to seek civil damages and injunctive relief.

 

HB2255
RELATING TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD CHECKS.
Human Services Providers; Criminal History Record Checks
Reduces the number of required annual fingerprint-based criminal history record checks from two to one.

 

HB2465
RELATING TO THE STATEWIDE TRAFFIC CODE.
Statewide Traffic Code; Fines; Early Payment Incentives
Authorizes the court to establish incentives for payment of traffic fines by reducing the fine in proportion to the amount of time remaining before the due date set in the citation or judgment.

 

HB2612
RELATING TO LAND MANAGEMENT.
Land Management; Hazard Mapping ($)
Appropriates funds to the department of land and natural resources for hazard mapping.

 

HB2613
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
Relating to Agricultural Lands
Allows designation of important agricultural lands by the legislature.

 

HB2614
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
Agricultural Lands
Protects agriculturally suitable lands on Oahu (lands with productivity ratings of “A” or “B”). Provides for mandatory extension of agricultural leases.

 

HB2691
RELATING TO SMOKING.
Smoking; Smoking Exemption; Organ Donation
Allows smoking in properly permitted liquor establishments not to include restaurants. Requires collection of smoking establishment permit fee with proceeds to go towards organ donation education.

 

HB2721 HD1
RELATING TO COURT REPORTERS.
Judiciary; Shorthand Reporters
Authorizes certified shorthand reporters to administer oaths or affirmations and to perform the duties of a deposition officer.

 

HB2722
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Health Insurance; Health Savings Accounts; Health Savings Account Assessment Task Force
Creates a health savings account assessment task force to assess the viability of health savings accounts in the State.

 

HB2723 HD1
RELATING TO FOOD SAFETY.
Food Safety
Amends the Food Safety Consultative and Education Program under the Department of Health to include information and education efforts regarding food allergies and anaphylaxis. Establishes a “food allergy friendly” restaurant designation program.

 

HB2724
RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER.
Dogs; Tethering
Permits tethering of an unattended dog if the tether meets certain specifications and the dog is at least 6 months old. Establishes mandatory fines.

 

HB2725
RELATING TO ANIMALS.
Animals; Humane Treatment
Amends the definition of necessary sustenance to include a primary pet enclosure that provides shelter; safe construction to prevent injury; room to stand, sit, or lie down; and safe interactions with other animals.

 

HB2800
RELATING TO CONSERVATION.
Conservation; Important Agricultural Lands; Legacy Land Conservation Commission
Allows the legacy land conservation commission to acquire agricultural easements across lands contiguous to important agricultural lands to protect and conserve important agricultural lands. The Act also provides tax incentives for easement donors.

 

HB2938
RELATING TO WORKPLACE SAFETY.
Substance Abuse Testing
Expands ability of employer to protect employees and prohibit the use of medical marijuana in the workplace.

 

HB2939 HD1
RELATING TO THE LONG TERM CARE COMMISSION.
Long Term Care Commission; Long Term Care Fund
Requires the long term care commission to review the feasibility of establishing a long term care fund to assist residents who would otherwise not qualify for any government or private long term care insurance program. Requires the Commission to recommend appropriate funding mechanisms. Requires conclusions and recommendations of the review to be included in the commission’s final report to the legislature on September 30, 2010. (HB2939 HD1)

HB2940
RELATING TO WORKPLACE SAFETY.
Workplace Violence
Establishes a mechanism for employers to obtain temporary restraining orders to protect against harassment, including violence or threatened violence, at the worksite.

 

HB2941
RELATING TO IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
Important Agricultural Lands; Designation
Allows designation of important agricultural lands by the legislature by law.

 

HB2942
RELATING TO URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
Urban Core Redevelopment Districts
Provides tax incentives and expedited permitting for private development within designated urban cores.

 

HB2994
RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FORTY-FIRST REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT.
CIP; 41st Representative District ($)
Appropriates funds for capital improvement projects to benefit the 41st representative district.

 

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu’s Bills Carried over from 2009:

 

HB612
RELATING TO LAND USE COMMISSION.
Land Use Commission; Important Agricultural Lands
Prevents lands designated important agricultural lands from being reclassified to another classification if the primary use of the land is agriculture, the owner or lessee is a farmer, and the gross proceeds from the agricultural activities on the land exceed $1,000,000.

 

HB613
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Elections; Withdrawal and Declaration of Candidacy
Requires the office of elections to develop a standard withdrawal and declaration of candidacy form by 01/01/2010. Requires a candidate to file the standard form to withdraw as a candidate prior to the subsequent filing of nomination papers for any other elective office

 

HB614
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Elections; Nomination Papers
Makes nomination papers available until twenty-four hours prior to the deadline for filing nomination papers.

 

HB616
RELATING TO THE HAWAII EXPORT CENTER.
Hawaii Export Center; Shipping; Small Businesses
Establishes Hawaii export center within department of business, economic development, and tourism located within the Kalaeloa community development district to manage sharing of shipping containers for multiple small Hawaii export businesses who lack sufficient quantities of product to completely fill one standard shipping container at any one time.

 

HB617 HD2
RELATING TO MASS TRANSIT ROUTE ECONOMIC ZONES.
Mass Transit Route Economic Zone Task Force
Creates a task force to recommend parameters for the creation of mass transit route economic zones including eligibility and benefits and incentives such as tax credits. Report to legislature, including process to designate economic zones and incentives to attract businesses and affordable housing to encourage ridership. Task force terminates on 06/30/10.

 

HB619
RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES.
Public Utilities; Renewable Energy Zones
Directs the public utilities commission to prepare a study on the creation of renewable energy zones and report its findings to the legislature.

 

HB620 HD1
RELATING TO SENTENCING.
Sex Offenders; Sentencing
Authorizes the court at sentencing to require a person with three or more convictions of sexual assault in the first degree to wear a global positioning system transmitter for up to 10 years after the person’s release from prison. Classifies as a class C felony the removal or disabling of the transmitter. (HB620 HD1)

 

HB621
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO CLARIFY RETIREMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR JUSTICES AND JUDGES IN STATE COURTS.
Constitutional Amendment; Judges; Completion of Terms (ConAm)
Proposes a constitutional amendment to allow justices and judges who attain the age of 70 during their term of office to complete their term prior to retirement.

 

HB622 HD1
RELATING TO HARASSMENT.
Harassment by Stalking; Electronic Communication
Adds electronic communication as a form of nonconsensual contact in the offense of harassment by stalking. (HB622 HD1)

 

HB623 HD1 SD1
RELATING TO STATE IDENTIFICATION.
State Identification; Counties
Allows the attorney general to contract with counties for processing and issuing state identification cards. Clarifies that counties may utilize driver licensing offices or other suitable county facilities to issue state identification cards. (SD1)

 

HB624
RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS.
Public Accommodations; Discrimination
Specifies state-operated schools, libraries, community colleges, and universities as examples of facilities that are places of public accommodation subject to anti-discriminatory prohibitions.

 

HB625 HD1
RELATING TO SURCHARGE FOR INDIGENT LEGAL SERVICES.
Surcharge for Indigent Legal Services
Increases the surcharge for civil actions. Adjusts the distribution formula of the funds for legal-services organizations for the indigent. (HB625 HD1)

 

HB626
RELATING TO ETHICS.
County Ethics Committees; Civil Fines; Appeal Proceedings
Conforms county ethics procedures for civil fines with state ethics commission procedures by allowing appeals of civil fines directly to a court and authorizing counties to adopt an ordinance to allow a county ethics commission to issue civil fines without first requesting correction or ceasing of violation.

 

HB774
RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY.
Judiciary; Supreme Court; Rules
Clarifies the supreme court’s rule making authority.

 

HB775
RELATING TO GOVERNMENT.
Government; Jury Service
Clarifies the law with respect to jury service.

 

HB776
RELATING TO CRIMES.
Crimes; Assault
Clarifies the law with respect to assault against a law enforcement officer.

 

HB777
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Elections; Campaign Treasurer
Clarifies the law with respect to campaign treasurers.

 

HB778
RELATING TO ATTORNEYS.
Attorneys; Attorney General; Private Practice
Clarifies the law with respect to attorneys in the Attorney General’s Office.

 

HB779
RELATING TO THE UNIFORM FOREIGN-COUNTRY MONEY JUDGMENTS RECOGNITION ACT.
Uniform Foreign Country Money Judgments Recognition Act
Enacts Uniform Foreign Country Money Judgments Recognition Act and in so doing, replaces and updates similar law codified as chapter 658C, HRS. Updates former law by, among other things, allocating burden of proof with respect to application of law, setting out procedure for obtaining recognition of foreign country money judgments, expanding grounds for denying recognition and allocating burden of proof to do so. Establishes statute of limitations.

 

HB780
RELATING TO TORTS.
Joint and Several Liability; Design Professionals
Abolishes joint and several liability for design professionals except when the design professional’s degree of negligence is 25% or more.

 

HB781
RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
Peace Mission Committee; Office of International Relations ($)
Establishes a peace mission committee within the office of international affairs to plan and implement peace missions to other nations and organizations. Appropriates funds.

 

HB782 HD1
RELATING TO THE UNIFORM MEDIATION ACT.
Uniform Mediation Act
Adopts the Uniform Mediation Act. Provides certain rules for mediations. Establishes a privilege that assures confidentiality of mediations in legal proceedings. Protects integrity and knowing consent through provisions that provide exceptions to the privilege, limit disclosures by the mediator to judges and others who may rule on the case, requires mediators to disclose conflicts of interest, and assures that parties may bring a lawyer or other support person to the mediation session. (HB782 HD1)

 

HB1314
RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FORTY-FIRST REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT.
CIP; 41st Representative District ($)
Authorizes capital improvement projects for the 41st representative district.

 

HB1315
RELATING TO PEACE DAY.
Peace Day; Peace Mission Committee
Establishes a peace mission committee to plan, develop, and implement a peace mission in 2017 in honor of the tenth annual Peace Day.

 

HB1317 HD1
RELATING TO RURAL PHYSICIANS TAX CREDIT.
Tax Credit; Physicians; Rural Areas
Provides a tax credit on a sliding scale for amounts paid for medical malpractice insurance premiums by physicians that move to, and practice medicine in, rural areas. (HB1317 HD1)

 

HB1511
RELATING TO THE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
Primary Health Care Incentive Program
Amends the primary health care incentive program to include the development and maintenance of a list of doctors, their specialties, and locations in which they are willing to help serve.

 

HB1513
RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER.
Cruelty to Animals; Possession of Gaff
Prohibits possession of gaff designed to be attached to gamecock or other fighting fowl.

 

HB1514 HD1
RELATING TO MEDICAL TORTS.
Medical Torts; Damages; Notification of Patients; Physician Profiles; Task Force
Places a ceiling on non-economic damages in medical torts involving neurologists and neurosurgeons and reduces insurance premiums for malpractice liability coverage. Requires a health care provider to disclose to patients adverse events relating to their medical treatment. Requires the Hawaii medical board to collect and publish information about physicians licensed in the state to allow consumers to make informed decisions in selecting physicians. Establishes a medical malpractice damages task force to provide support in implementing the provisions of this Act. (HB1514 HD1)

 

HB1515
RELATING TO THE HAWAII PATIENT COMPENSATION FUND.
Patient Compensation Fund
Establishes a patient compensation fund to offer medical malpractice insurance in excess of the basic insurance coverage necessary to participate in the fund.

 

HB1782 HD2 SD2
RELATING TO HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE.
Health Information Exchange Task Force; Health Information Technology ($)
Creates an office of the state coordinator of health information technology and a health information exchange task force to assist in developing a health information exchange program.

 

HB1783
RELATING TO THE MEDICAL CLAIM CONCILIATION PANEL.
Medical Claim Compensation Panel
Amends provisions relating to the medical claim compensation panel by establishing a health court. Increases the number of panel members and amends the manner in which they are appointed.

 

HB1784 HD2
RELATING TO MEDICAL TORTS.
Medical Tort Claims
Improves the medical tort law by, among other things, setting a maximum award limit for noneconomic damages in medical tort cases against physician specialists. Requires all insurers providing professional liability insurance for health care providers to implement a premium rate established by the State Insurance Commissioner. Establishes the Medical Malpractice Rate Commission. Establishes the Medical Malpractice Task Force. Requires notification of adverse events. (HB1784 HD2)

 

HB1785
RELATING TO MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIMS.
Task Force; Medical Malpractice
Establishes a medical malpractice damages task force to develop a strategic plan to address the high costs of medical malpractice insurance rates and make recommendations on damage award ranges and guidelines for medical malpractice claims.

 

HB1786
RELATING TO GAMING.
Gaming; One County; One Casino; Nonresident Adults; Deposit Taxes & Fees into General Fund
Allows casino gaming at 1 location on a 5-year license in a county having a population of more than 500,000 admitting only persons over 21, nonresidents, or who have round-trip tickets for travel to a final destination outside Hawaii. Creates a gaming commission and imposes a 7% tax on the casino’s monthly gross receipts and an annual $250 fee on each gaming device for deposit into the general fund except     % and     % for administrative costs and administering a problem gamblers program.

I am thinking of all the great leaders of Hawaii who passed away in the last month in a half and are two generations above mine, my mentor & friend Senator Nadao “Najo” Yoshinaga, Senator Stanley Hara and Representative Jack Suwa. They were all friends of my late grandpa Maurice Karamatsu.

Although, I did not know them, my well wishes for Mayor Frank Fasi and Congressman Cecil Heftel.

For those of you fighting for equal rights, keep your message positive. Negativity placed on your opponents will only hurt your efforts. Especially attacks on your friends and allies who came so close to making it into law. ..