Jill on the Job Newsletter – Hawaii News Journal

Jill on the Job Newsletter. “Rep Jill Tokuda Newsletter-June + July 2024.”

Views expressed in this Hawaii News political update are those of Representative Jill Tokuda.

Accessed on 31 July 2024, 1200 UTC.

Content and Source: Email newsletter from Rep. Jill Tokuda. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQVxtlTnFHcRwLCcMJHHxkqZJnD

Please scroll down to read your selections. Thanks for joining us today.

Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsdigestonline.com).

11:12 AM (50 minutes ago)

to me

Aloha Russell,

I’m excited to share what my team and I have been working on this summer in both Hawaiʻi and Washington, D.C.! As always, I am honored to serve as your Representative in Congress.

If you need assistance with a federal agency, please fill out the online request form here, and my District Office will reach out to you promptly. If you require other services, please visit https://tokuda.house.gov/services for more information on how we can help.

Hawaiʻi Wins in the Partisan Farm Bill Secured by Rep. Tokuda:

Rep. Tokuda, the only member of Hawaiʻi’s Congressional Delegation to serve on an Agriculture committee, voted against sending the House Republicans’ partisan Farm Bill to the full House of Representatives after a 13-hour markup.

In the House Republican draft of the Farm Bill, drastic cuts to the Thrifty Food Plan had been proposed which would impact several nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $30 billion.

The Farm Bill, despite falling short in its support for working families, incorporated many of Rep. Tokudaʻs priority asks for Hawaiʻi. This includes provisions that address the significant drop in nutrition assistance for Hawaiʻi residents, increase microgrants to grow small-scale farming to help food-insecure areas, and create initiatives to support our specialty crops iconic to our islands.

The bill awaits further action by the House. To read more on Hawaiʻi wins in the Farm Bill, visit bit.ly/tokudaFarmBill.

Hawaiʻi Wins in the National Defense Authorization Act

Rep. Tokuda, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill contained various provisions advocated by Rep. Tokuda on behalf of Hawaiʻi, such as initiatives to combat and control the spread of invasive species, provide stable housing for both civilian and contractor personnel on Maui, and introduce new regulations that ensure the safety of our keiki in military child care centers. However, Republican amendments to the bill would limit access to reproductive care and gender-affirming care and roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion protections at the Department of Defense. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 217-199. Here is Rep Tokudaʻs statement:

“Once again, House Republicans have derailed a bipartisan process for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act by adding harmful poison-pill policy riders that attack reproductive rights and health care for our service members and undermine a more diverse and inclusive military for women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color.

I was proud of the bipartisan bill we crafted in committee that addressed so many crucial Hawai‘i priorities that I fought for and made substantial quality-of-life improvements for service members and military families, but the amendments forced onto this bill by far-right Republicans have forced me to sadly vote against passage today. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will continue to work on this year’s NDAA with colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the Capitol to remove these poison-pill riders and protect the many positive provisions we’ve secured to advance our national security and support our service members and military families.”

Rep. Tokuda’s Summer Interns:

Rep. Tokuda welcomes college students to apply for an internship in her D.C. or Hawaii office. This summer, Rep. Tokuda’s office has two interns and one law fellow.

Mirella Schwartz is one of Rep. Tokuda’s D.C. interns. She was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, on Hawaiʻi Island, and recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in International Studies and a concentration in politics and diplomacy. For this internship, she hopes to better understand what the people of Hawaiʻi care about and, in turn, refine what she cares about. Mirella looks forward to completing her master’s degree in International Affairs at George Washington University.

Haley Yoshioka is the Patsy Takemoto Mink Legislative Fellow in the D.C. office. Born and raised on Oʻahu, she is a rising second-year law student at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to law school, she received a B.A. in Political Science with minors in Sociology and Philosophy at George Fox University. For this internship, she hopes to gain valuable insight into federal policy making and deepen her understanding of the legislative process. Haley plans to return to Hawaiʻi to complete law school.

Michael Yoro is Rep. Tokuda’s intern in Hawaii. He recently completed his first year at Harvard University, where he studies Government. He is from Wahiawa, Hawaiʻi, and is excited to be home for the summer, especially to serve constituents from Hawaiʻi’s Second Congressional District. Growing up, he has always had a passion in serving our communities and believes constituent services are an overlooked aspect of government. For this internship, he hopes to gain skills for a future career in public service.

Celebrating Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month:

Rep. Tokuda celebrated Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month speaking to a number of AANHPI groups raising awareness on issues facing AANHPI groups and communities during events, press conferences, and on the House floor. Providing the keynote address AANHPI military leaders and partners, as well as before Government Accountability Office employees, she stressed the importance of being seen and counted, encouraging more AANHPI to join government and the military. On the House Floor, Rep. Tokuda celebrated the achievements, voices, and struggles of the AANHPI communities and called for better representation and recognition in our nation.

The highlight of the month was Rep. Tokuda co-chairing the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Gala. As one of the most established cultural events in in Washington, D.C., this yearʻs event was the largest ever with more than 1,300 people to celebrate the contributions of the AANHPI community and honor leaders such as Hawaii’s own Sheri-Ann Daniels from Papa Ola Lokahi. Rep. Tokuda spoke about the contributions and leaderships of AANHPI trailblazers that had helped to build and shape America, and the challenges shared to make sure their diversity is seen and valued.

Gun Violence Awareness Month:

June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, where we recognize the deadly consequences of gun violence, honor the lives taken from gun tragedies and their survivors, and work to create safer communities.

In June, Rep. Tokuda introduced the Restoring Trust in Public Safety Act. This legislation would combat gun violence in our communities by providing public agencies, including police departments, with better resources to fully destroy seized and surrendered firearms – otherwise known as “zombie guns.” Here is Rep. Tokuda’s statement:

“Bottom line, there are too many guns and weapons on our streets and terrorizing our communities. This bill gives our law enforcement agencies the resources to 100% destroy firearms that are seized, surrendered, or retired, and seeks to remove their reliance on gun disposal companies who have profited off a lack of government funding for proper disposal. This widespread practice of gun recycling is becoming a lucrative industry in our country that only further proliferates the spread of ghost guns in our communities.”

Rep. Tokuda also hosted a roundtable with Hawaiʻi gun prevention leaders, like Moms Demand Action, to discuss gun violence in Hawaiʻi, the resources needed to address gun issues, and their advocacy and initiatives to improve safety in our communities.

Gun Violence Stakeholders Zoom Roundtable

Lahaina Heritage Act Hearing:

In May, Rep. Tokuda introduced the Lahaina National Heritage Area Act that would establish Lahaina as a historic, culturally important site in America. Currently there are only 62 sites nationwide. Designation as a National Heritage Area would bring additional federal funding for cultural and environmental preservation.

On June 27^th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing on the Lahaina National Heritage Area Act. Rep. Tokuda testified during the hearing and the committee received written testimonies from Governor Josh Green, Mayor Bissen of Maui County, and Keʻeaumoku Kapu of Nā ʻAikāne o Maui in support of the legislation.

To watch Rep. Tokuda’s full testimony on the Lahaina National Heritage Act, please visit bit.ly/TokudaTestimonyLahainaHeritage.

Health Center Visits:

As the co-founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, Rep. Tokuda understands the importance of rural healthcare centers and the providers who support our communities’ health needs. In June, Rep. Tokuda visited Koʻolauloa Health Center, the Queen’s Medical Center in Wahiawā, and Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic on Hawaiʻi Island. During these visits, Rep. Tokuda was able to talk to healthcare providers and observe the unique services that each clinic provides for residents in their area.

Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic in Waimea, Hawaiʻi

The Queen’s Medical Center in Wahiawā

Koʻolauloa Health Center in Kahuku

Koʻolauloa Health Center was awarded community project funding as a result of Rep. Tokuda’s advocacy to expand and provide quality medical, dental, behavioral, and pharmaceutical assistance for the North shore of Oʻahu. Rep. Tokuda visited the recently renovated The Queen’s Medical Center – Wahiawā, previously known as Wahiawa General Hospital, which will provide critical care for Central Oʻahu residents. She also toured Kīpuka o ke Ola Clinic on Hawaiʻi Island, which provides services to the Waimea community, with a focus on the Native Hawaiian population which experiences numerous health disparities.