What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?
Affordable housing. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been dedicated over the last four years to subsidize housing projects, and two years ago an appropriation of $600 million went to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for homes dedicated to families.
Another issue is in improving health care access. This past session of 2024, my bill SB1035 became Act 47, a GE tax exemption to doctors and dentists in private practice. Providers have been leaving Hawaii in rural areas, particularly East Hawaii, as the state tax could not be passed on to patients, by law, on Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE.
