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Senator Josh Green

Josh Green / 3rd Senatorial District
Phone 808-586-9385; fax 808-586-9391
sengreen@capitol.hawaii.gov

What was your biggest accomplishment this session?
SB 1673 reinvents the Hawaii Health System, making it financially more stable and able to better provide services for Hawaii’s people, especially those in rural areas. This bill allows for local control of the HHSC hospitals and begins the process to allow them to become non-profits and partner with private investors. Essentially SB1673 rescue the state hospital system for the future.

With which piece of 2009 legislation are you most proud to be affiliated and why?
SB1673

What was the biggest disappointment of the session and how might a similar disappointment be prevented in the future?
“The Hawaii Health Corps, a program to repay health professionals loans if they agree to work in under-served areas, was deferred at least one year until the state’s financial position improves. This measure is necessary to get physicians and nurses to practice where we need them most.”

Debating which issue turned out to be the biggest distraction from your priorities?
“HB444 requires collaboration and compromise but should not dominate the legislative calendar.”

What’s one thing you wish voters better understood about you or the political process as a whole?
“Voters should be aware that citizen legislatures like Hawaii’s benefit from people with other careers, because this adds perspective to the process. Being the only physician in the legislature, though it requires me to be on call every weekend and holiday and consumes significant time and energy, allows me to contribute more to the state on all health related issues.”

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This week

Game Changer

After retiring from public service in 2002, Ben Cayetano seemed to be taking it easy on the political scene–until 2005, that is, when then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann revived the long-lapsed idea of a Honolulu heavy rail project. Needless to say, Cayetano did not concur.

Geo Gold Rush

Last Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection had a busy session hearing several controversial bills relating to geothermal energy. Chairman Denny Coffman introduced HB2689, which seeks to exempt slim-hole, or exploratory, geothermal test wells from any sort of environmental review as is currently required under Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Stop Stalling

On Feb. 1, the Hawaii State House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on HB2703, dubbed the Food Self-Sufficiency Bill.

Farm Friends

Mega-developer Castle & Cooke has re-filed an application with the Land Use Commission (LUC) seeking to convert approximately 768 acres of Ag land–currently in cultivation–into a “master-planned community” entitled Koa Ridge. If successful, the project will consist of two parcels–Koa Ridge Makai and Castle & Cooke Waiawa.

Civics

Office of Hawaiian Affairs holds a second round of community meetings to discuss the latest updates on the Kakaako land settlement. Stevenson Middle School, 1202 Prospect St., Wed., 2/8, 6:30pm; Waimanalo Community Center, 41-253 Ilauhole St., Thu., 2/9, 6:30pm City Council committees on Zoning and Planningand Transportation will take public testimony on agenda items.

Kinda Hawaii?

[Feb. 1: “Kinda Kona”] The trade secret argument would fall to the wayside if it would read “10 percent Kona Coffee 90 percent Foreign Coffee,” or something to that effect.

Duplicating Crap

If they are choosing the cheapest coffee from anywhere, then the “trade secret” is that they are adding crap and not a sp

No HART

[Feb. 1: “Rail Boss Wanted”] $300,000?

Future Politician?

[Jan. 4: “Boss GMO] Dean Okimoto is a sell out and a criminal.

Oust Monsanto

Monsanto is a major component of the NWO drive to reduce the world’s population in a global genocide program that includes the poisoning of the water, air and food. This criminal activity must be stopped.

Okimoto VS Small Ag

Lets be real here, Dean Okimoto is not interested in anything other then keeping the status quo of industrial Ag. He is merely a puppet, playing it safe, a small game of following the money and corrupt political trail.

Locals Know Best

[Jan. 25: “Weaving the Future on Molokai”] Good luck to all those who possess the ability to balance long-term vision with short term opportunity.

We’re Being Railroaded

[Dec. 21: “Underground Railroad”] This is, indeed, a “lunatic project,” as pointed out by a professor at the University of Hawaii.

Rail = Ego

This is such a bad idea for the overall architecture of Oahu. I visit here because my family is here and part of the charm is taking the bus or driving.

Plain stupid

I cannot imagine how anyone can think this is a smart idea. I’ve lived in places with rail, but this Honolulu Rail Transit is stupid, plain stupid.