Issues

Economy

Championing tourism, our #1 industry

  • Expand the visa waiver program to increase tourism to Hawaii from emerging travel markets like China
  • Promote the United States as a global tourism destination through support for programs like BrandUSA to expand travel from South Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian countries
  • Diversify the visitor industry by pursuing sports tourism, film and television production, agri-tourism, edu-tourism, cuisine, cultural, and historical tourism, and other opportunities

Creating a clean energy economy

  • Leverage Hawaii’s sun, wind, ocean, geothermal and agricultural resources in clean energy development
  • Support tax incentives, federal investments and public-private partnerships to  further grow the clean energy industry in Hawaii
  • Attract research and foster development of alternative energy technologies and sustainable environmental practices

Helping Hawaii’s small businesses

  • Reduce the tax burden on small businesses
  • Restore funding to the Small Business Administration to increase access to startup capital and loan guarantees
  • Encourage entrepreneurship, incentivize hiring, and invest in job training programs

 

Education

Strengthening early childhood education

  • Strengthen early childhood education programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start
  • Establish sensible processes for evaluating school readiness for our youngest keiki
  • Partner with local nonprofit organizations to provide accessible and affordable early childhood education programs

Supporting Hawaii’s teachers

  • Fix “No Child Left Behind”
  • Support the National Education Association’s goals of improving teacher quality; professional development opportunities and classroom preparation time
  • Fight for teachers to earn fair, professional wages

Improving access to higher education

  • Lower interest rates on student loans, extend tax credits for families paying for college expenses and increase Pell Grant awards
  • Streamline federal programs to make them effective, efficient, and accessible
  • Build public-private partnerships to promote the University of Hawaii system throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Environment

Boosting Renewable Energy

  • Address Hawaii’s energy production vulnerability and reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels
  • Move Hawaii toward locally supplied alternatives
  • Support development of Hawaii’s renewable energy resources

Enhancing our Quality of Life

  • Expand access to affordable housing and rental opportunities in livable, sustainable communities
  • Partner with the federal government to promote transit-oriented development projects, and pedestrian- and bike-friendly lifestyles to reduce our carbon footprint
  • Invest in our highways, transit systems, airports and harbors to increase efficiency in transportation

Revitalizing Hawaii agriculture

  • Support Hawaii’s local agriculture industry by promoting Hawaii-grown products
  • Remove barriers to local farmers and ranchers to put Hawaii’s agricultural lands to productive use
  • Increase Hawaii’s food self-sufficiency and reduce our dependency on imported food products

 

Families

Caring for Our Kupuna

  • Defend programs that help our kupuna, including Social Security and Medicare, and work to end elderly abuse
  • Find and reduce waste, fraud and abuse of social programs to ensure funds are available for those who need them
  • Increase access to and participation in workplace retirement plans and expand tax credits to encourage saving for retirement

Welcoming New American Families

  • Establish clearer pathways to citizenship for immigrants and their children
  • Reform the legal immigration system to strengthen America’s economic and security interests
  • Provide greater opportunities for immigrants serving in the U.S. military to earn citizenship for themselves and their families

Advancing Women’s and Minority Rights

  • Support policies that advance the cause of gender equity in education, athletics, employment, and beyond
  • Respect a woman’s right to exercise her free agency in making decisions about her personal health
  • Advocate for equal pay and benefits for equal work done by men and women

Fiscal Responsibility

Leading By Example

  • Join with other leaders on Capitol Hill to take responsibility for making tough decisions on America’s budget deficit and not resort to triggering automatic cuts
  • Distinguish between “nice to have” and “need to have” programs during the budget process to prioritize spending
  • Reduce Congressmembers’ salaries in light of tough economic times

Cutting Down on Fraud & Waste

  • Cut down on wasteful spending and eliminate redundant programs
  • Streamline inefficient processes and reduce burdensome regulations
  • Provide ways for citizens to report fraud and abuse

Fostering Economic Fairness and Equality

  • Close loopholes and reform the tax code to ensure that the largest corporations in America are not receiving undue tax breaks or subsidies
  • Implement the “Buffett Rule” to ensure the most wealthy individuals in the country pay their fair share
  • Carefully consider a balanced mix of budget cuts and revenue enhancements

 

Foreign Policy and our Military

Shaping America’s Pacific Century

  • Vigorously engage with Asia and Pacific partners to advance common objectives and values
  • Strengthen Hawaii’s diplomatic role as the “Geneva of the Pacific” and pursue more APEC-like conference opportunities
  • Enhance economic development, democracy,  and human rights in the Asia Pacific Basin and beyond

Supporting our Military and Veterans

  • Ensure our bases have world-class infrastructure and facilities for training, medical care, housing, and education
  • Strengthen and optimize Military Health System and VA programs to better serve active-duty service members, veterans, and their families
  • Engage and partner with non-profit agencies to further support all veterans on issues such as job placement, housing assistance, mental health, and homelessness

 Highlighting Hawaii’s Strategic Position in the Pacific

  • Maintain Hawaii’s role as a site for strategic exchanges and tactical exercises with our partners and allies
  • Urge the Pentagon to keep Pearl Harbor and other Hawaii bases off the list of potential closures
  • Promote readiness of Hawaii-based troops and first responders to act in contingencies and natural disasters throughout the Asia-Pacific region