Senator Maile Shimabukuro’s Key Accomplishments 2022
~ Homelessness & Housing: $15m Ohana Zones; $23m Housing Subsidies for TANF recipients; $10m Public Housing; $5m Affordable Home Ownership; $500,000 Rental Assistance; $600,000 Safe Spaces for Homeless Youth
~ Traffic Mitigation: $31m to continue extending the 5th lane and contraflow; parallel route from Paakea Road to Lualualei Naval Road; sidewalk and other safety improvements; elimination of eastbound merge
~ Education: Papahana O Kaiona alternative learning center facility at Old Kaiser Building on St. John’s Road ($2m); Waianae High Marine Science Learning Center and Fish Hatchery ($2.8m; SB3190) and Rubberized All-Weather Track ($4m); Nanakuli High and Intermediate Performing Arts Auditorium ($2m) and Baseball Field improvements ($1.5m)
~ Energy and Environment: Carbon capture project by Waianae-owned DIBS Hawaii, to convert waste into food grade liquid carbon dioxide for agriculture and renewable energy purposes ($40m special purpose revenue bonds; SB2865)
~ Judiciary: Alimony Garnishment (SB2869) and Paternity Filing Fees Parity (SB2663)
~ Hawaiian Affairs: Approx. $1B for DHHL; DHHL 60-day County Infrastructure Dedication (SB879); Pre-Contact Historic Property (SB1411); Waianae Moku Kupuna Council (SR45)
~ Crime: Illegal Game Rooms (SB3189/HB2197)
~ GIAs: Protectors of Paradise; Waianae Economic Development Council; Hoomahua Foundation; Na Kama Kai; Waianae and Nanakuli Boys and Girls Club; Makana O Ke Akua; HI Assisted Housing-Nanakuli & Maili; MA’O Organic Farms
Vision & Future Legislation 2023
Capital improvements:
~ parallel route from Paakea Road to Lualualei Naval Road;
~ re-route Farrington Highway further mauka at Makaha Surfing Beach to address sea level rise and provide an alternate bus turnaround;
~ hog and other small animal slaughterhouse at Kalaeloa;
~ flood mitigation in Lualualei Valley;
~ speed humps in Princess Kahanu Estates, Maili, and other high-speed areas; lengthen existing speed humps to extend to shoulders.
Potential Future Legislation:
~Allow persons threatened with losing their home to qualify for “homeless services” before they actually become homeless
~For credit checks for subsidized housing, exempt debts that the tenant is actively paying off, or have been excused via a divorce decree or other court order, but are not being paid by the ex-spouse due to the latter declaring bankruptcy, being delinquent, etc.
~ For potential tenants seeking to enter subsidized housing who do not pass the credit check and cannot find a co-signer, allow the option to either appoint a representative payee (if they receive public benefits), or participate in an individual development account program with INPEACE, etc, and list the subsidized housing provider as the beneficiary in the event that they fall behind on rent
~ automatically remove expunged offenses from a person’s criminal record, and make dismissed traffic citations eligible for expungement;
~ allow non-violent felons who have successfully completed probation and rehabilitation to be considered for public and subsidized housing
~ allow defendants to file affidavits to complete divorces when the plaintiff has failed to take action
~ require DOH to perform water quality testing during brown water advisories and inform the public of health risks due to water runoff.
