STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1327

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 722

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 722, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Commission on Fatherhood

 

G.M. No. 722

RUSS S. AWAKUNI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee and finds Russ S. Awakuni to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Commission on Fatherhood.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Russ S. Awakuni from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Mr. Awakuni earned a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  He is currently the Managing Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Leeward office.  Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society, Mr. Awakuni worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, and later engaged in the private practice of law.

 

     Mr. Awakuni is a member of the Access to Justice Subcommittee on Overcoming Barriers to Access to Justice and the Hawaii United Okinawa Association.  He is the past President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Hawaii State Bar Association and a past Vice-Chair for the Nuuanu/Punchbowl Neighborhood Board.

 

     Mr. Awakuni is the father of a nine-year-old son and therefore has first-hand experience in providing a stable, nurturing home and environment for a child.  Mr. Awakuni indicated from his personal statement that he wishes to sit on the Commission on Fatherhood because he desires to help shape policy on issues related to fatherhood through education, advocacy, outreach, and public relations.  He is confident that his background as an attorney with a local non-profit organization will be of great benefit to the Commission, especially in regards to issues surrounding children in the Family Court system.

 

     Your Committee finds that Mr. Awakuni's extensive legal and community service experience will be a great asset to the Commission on Fatherhood.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair