Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the House Majority Caucus website! Hopefully, this site will give you a better idea of the issues that are being debated and discussed at the Legislature.

I am privileged to serve as the Chair of the Committee on Education. On this page, I have highlighted several key issues that have come before the Committee. You can also check on upcoming events in the community such as town meetings and neighborhood board meetings.

Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts and concerns with me. Let's continue to work together to improve the quality of life in our community.

Sincerely,
Roy M. Takumi
State Representative
36th District

TOPICS OF INTEREST

• State Educational Facilities Improvement Special Fund
  Our school facilities are in desperate need of assistance. Representative Takumi has introduced House Bill No. 1891, C.D. 1, which provides for additional general excise tax revenue collections to be deposited to the credit of the State Educational Facilities Improvement Special Fund.
  
  
• Prescription Drug Advertisements
  Representative Takumi believes that consumers of prescription drugs need better information regarding the effects of the drugs and better protection from potentially misleading drug ads. He has introduced House Bill No. 1869, H.D. 1, which requires prescription drug ads to meet federal standards, public disclosure of clinical trial information, and drug manufacturers to pay fees to the Department of Health to fund a public education initiative on clinical trials and drug safety. However, this measure failed to gain Senate approval.
  
  
• Retired Teachers
  While teacher quality is one of the most influential factors in student achievement, the shortage of teachers has become critical, especially as more "baby boomer" teachers retire. Representative Takumi believes that re-employing these retired teachers will help relieve the shortage. House Bill No. 1862, C.D. 1, allows the Department of Education to employ certain retired teachers and administrators to teach full-time in teacher shortage areas and serve as mentors for new classroom teachers.
  
  
• School Facilities Alignment Commission
  Concerns continue to be raised by many that our public school system misallocates and wastes state resources. Representative Takumi believes that an independent commission will provide the most effective and unbiased means of determining the best way to use state resources for public education. He has introduced House Bill No. 2743, H.D. 2, which would have established the Facilities Alignment Commission (Commission) to develop recommendations for areas for new school construction, schools for expansion, and schools for consolidation or closure. The work of the Commission would have been subject to public input and scrutiny, and the Legislature would have had to disapprove these recommendations in their entirety. However, this bill failed to gain Senate approval.
  
  
• International Trade - Procurement
  Representative Takumi has recognized that international trade agreements negotiated by the federal government may undermine provisions of the State's public procurement code and other state preference and set-aside policies set up to promote and protect various sectors and groups of our local economy. However, the State may still retain the authority to regulate procurement, if the international trade agreement allows for it. To establish a protocol for this, Representative Takumi has introduced House Bill No. 2199, C.D. 1, which establishes that, to the extent allowed under an international trade agreement, the State shall consent to the provisions of an international trade agreement relating to procurement only through the enactment of law.
  
  A recent editorial in the Honolulu Advertiser raised questions regarding possible violations of procurement law by officials in the Administration. The concerns relate to the procurement of contracts used for the Governor's recent foreign trade missions.
  
  
• No Child Left Behind Act - Federal Funding
  While Representative Takumi agrees that states need to be held accountable for the performances of their respective public school systems, he believes that the federal government should not abdicate its role as a partner in providing for the educational needs of children throughout the nation. A Honolulu Advertiser opinion piece, penned by Representative Takumi in May of 2004, outlined his belief that the federal government should pay their fair share of educational costs, especially with respect to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). In addition, he believes that NCLBA should be revised to make it more equitable and fair for all states, with emphasis on multiple indicators of progress instead of testing and sanctions.
  
  To address these concerns, Representative Takumi has introduced House Concurrent Resolution No. 46 , along with House Resolution No. 32, to urge the federal government to increase federal funding for education-related programs and to provide states with flexibility, including waivers and exemptions, to assist states in meeting the requirements of NCLBA. Representative Takumi has also introduced House Concurrent Resolution No. 47 , along with House Resolution No. 33, similarly urging the federal government to increase funding for the NCLBA as well as other education-related legislation.
  
  
• Medicare Part D - Prescription Drugs
  Representative Takumi, in a Honolulu Star Bulletin article on February 13,2006, explains the shortcomings of the current Medicare Part D prescription drug program. (Full article)
  

NEWS AND EVENTS

• November 6, 2009. Representative Takumi discusses what needs to be done to find solutions to Furlough Fridays in Hawaii's public schools. (Interview)

• March 30, 2006. Pearl City Town Meeting on the Kamehameha Highway Improvement Project. This event was held at the Waimalu Elementary School Cafeteria from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  
  
• April 12, 2006. Pearl City Town Meeting on Education. This event was held at the Pearl Ridge Elementary School Cafeteria from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  
  
• Neighborhood Board Meetings. These events are scheduled every fourth Tuesday of the month at the Highlands Intermediate School Cafeteria. Each board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. on the following days:
  
  March 28, 2006
  April 25, 2006
  May 23, 2006
  June 27, 2006