All of us have been incredibly blessed to have been born in a country where our founders put into law a right to be heard and a system that allows for public input. With that blessing comes the responsibility to speak up when needed. Now is the time! We can be very influential in the outcome of these proposed bills but you must be willing to make a phone call, write an email and testify. No one will be going to jail for speaking up!
PRAY! Do not fall into fear, that a receptionist or person on the other end of the phone is going to ask you questions. If they do, and you don’t know the answer, you should humbly admit that and say I will find out and get back to you. The vast majority of people working in these offices do not have a clue about homeschooling nor the bills that have been introduced. So this is a very good time to make calls and send emails. Don’t think about yourself, instead focus on what is at stake!
I look back at the summer of 1987, when I was a part of proposing the current regulation. I had never done anything like that before! It was a very big and scary step! Being actively a part of this went way beyond making a phone call or testifying in a committee! Three couples, which included Gary and me, went for monthly meetings to work out our differences. The meetings were tense and it seemed the members of the Board of Education could not understand the fact that homeschool parents really cared and were willing to do whatever it would take to educate their children. We were so discouraged after the second to the last meeting BUT GOD gave us the victory at the last meeting!!! The rest is history! About 20 years later, I happened to meet the Superintendent who presided over the Board at that time. He said passing the homeschool regulation was the best thing he had done while he was on the Board. God is almighty!! –Lora Burbage
Committee Chairs have the power to schedule or not schedule a bill. These bills have been assigned to the following committees but have not been scheduled yet.
Use the information below to contact members of the committees that will need to pass the bills.
Please refer to the e-lert from HSLDA for talking points.
SB 2274 and SB 2323
Education Committee
– Chair – Senator Michelle N. Kidani, District 18, 808-586-7100, senkidani@capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice-Chair – Senator Kaiali’I Kahele, District 1, 808-586-6760, senkkahele@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, District 22, 808-586-6090, sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov
- Senator Will Espero, District 19, 808-586-6360, senespero@capitol.hawaii.gov
- Senator Donna Mercado Kim, District 14, 808-587-7200, senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov
Human Services Committee
– Chair – Senator Josh Green, District 3, 808-586-9385, sengreen@capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice-chair – Senator Stanley Chang, District 9, 808-586-8420, senchang@capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Senator Jill Tokuda, District 24, 808-587-7215, sentokuda@capitol.hawaii.gov
- Senator Breene Harimoto, District 16, 808-586-6230, senharimoto@capitol.hawaii.gov
Judiciary Committee
– Chair – Senator Brian Taniguchi, District 11, 808-586-6460, sentaniguchi@capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice-Chair – Senator Karl Rhoads, District 13, 808 586-6130, senrhoads@capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Senator Donna Mercado Kim, District 14, 808-587-7200, senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov
- Senator Mike Gabbard, District 20, 808-586-6830, sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov
- Senator Laura Thielen, District 25, 808-587-8388, senthielen@capitol.hawaii.gov
House Speaker Scott Saiki, 808-586-6100, repsaiki@Capitol.hawaii.gov
HB 2244
Education Committee
– Chair – Representative Justin Woodson, District 9, 808-586-6210, repwoods@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice Chair – Representative Sam Satoru Kong, District 33, 808-586-8455, repkong@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Representative Richard Creagan, District 5, 808-586-9605, repcreagan@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Mark J. Hashem, District 18, 808-586-6510, rephashem@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Kaniela Ing, District 11, 808-586-8525, reping@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Lei R. Learmont, District 46, 808-586-6700, replearmont@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Angus L.K. McKelvey, District 10, 808-586-6160, repmckelvey@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Takashi Ohno, District 27, 808-586-9415, repohno@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Richard H.K. Onishi, District 3, 808-586-6120, reponishi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Sean Quinlan, District 47, 808-586-6380, repquinlan@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Lauren K. Matsumoto, District 45, 808-586-9490, repmatsumoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Health and Human Services
– Chair – Representative John Mizuno, District 28, 808-586-6050, repmizuno@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice Chair – Representative Bertrand Kobayashi, District 19, 808-586-6310, repkobayashi@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Representative Della Au Belatii, District 24, 808-586-9425, repbelatti@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Lei R. Learmont, District 46, 808-586-6700, replearmont@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Andria P.L. Tupola, District 43, 808-586-8465, reptupola@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Judiciary
– Chair – Representative Scott Y. Nishimoto, District 21, 808-586-8515, repnishimoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Vice Chair – Representative Joy A. San Buenaventura, District 4, 808-586-6530, repsanbuenaventura@Capitol.hawaii.gov
– Members
- Representative Tom Brower, District 22, 808-586-8520, repbrower@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Chris Lee, District 51, 808-586-9450, replee@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Dee Morikawa, District 16, 808-586-6280, repmorikawa@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Gregg Takayama, District 34, 808-586-6340, reptakayama@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Bob McDermott, District 40, 808-586-9730, repmcdermott@Capitol.hawaii.gov
- Representative Cynthia Thielen, District 50, 808-586-6480, repthielen@Capitol.hawaii.gov
