Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi 2016 Convention Resolutions Committee (No Support)

Transcription

1 Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi 01 Convention Resolutions Committee (No Support)

2 To Ban the Use of Glyphosate for Roadside Spraying as of July 1, 01 Whereas, A study done on Hawai i island in House District to compare the price of maintaining the side of the road by spray or by mower showed it is not only visually more appealing to mow but also can be accomplished without a significant increase in cost; and Whereas, A one to five foot (sometimes more like eight to ten foot) swath of dead foliage bordering every growing space along roads, schools, libraries, hospitals, scenic points, parks, playgrounds, etc. is unsightly and leaves dried vegetation as a fire hazard; and Whereas, The World Health Organization s (WHO s) cancer authorities the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans; and Whereas, Studies have shown glyphosate can be toxic to small animals; and Whereas, These findings raise concerns about the effects roadside spraying of glyphosate may have on human health and the environment; and Whereas, State legislation restricting the use of toxic herbicides such as glyphosate is important to the public health and welfare and making the effective date July 1, 01 provides a definitive deadline for the use of such toxic herbicides that provides a sufficient period for transition from current practices; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That Democratic Party of Hawai i encourages elected public officials to pass legislation prohibiting the use of toxic herbicides such as glyphosate on public lands as of July 1, 01; and be it further Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to all members of Hawaii s Congressional Delegation, the Governor of the State of Hawai i, the Lt. Governor of the State of Hawai i, and all members of the Hawai i State Legislature who are members of the Democratic Party of Hawai i. Page 1 of 1

3 Call to Prohibit Anonymity of Corporate Beneficial Ownership Whereas, The so-called Panama Papers have revealed that the use of shell corporations has allowed corporate and criminal entities to hide the ownership of assets and evade taxes on an unimaginable scale; and Whereas, The several states in the United States allow for the creation of shell corporations without requiring any verification of identity so that it is more difficult to obtain a simple library card than to start a shell corporation ; and Whereas, The shell corporations created in the United States hide more assets and are more anonymous than so-called tax havens such as Panama; and Whereas, The assets hidden through these shell corporations have been estimated to be as much as $1 trillion, more than the combined GDP of the USA and Japan; and Whereas, Taxes to finance the government of the United States has increasingly fallen on America s Middle Class while Corporate America s share of the tax burden has fallen; and Whereas, More and more wealth is concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i supports Tax Transparency that is at least equivalent to that proposed in the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act (S. 1) introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Carolyn Maloney; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i ask each member of the Hawai i State Legislature that are members of the Democratic Party of Hawai i and the Governor of the State of Hawai i and each member of the Hawai i Congressional Delegation to publically state their position and actions they support to shutdown tax shelters and ensure that Corporations pay their fair share ; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai i State Legislature and of the Hawai i State Congressional delegation. Page of 1

4 Encouraging the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to continue to support amending the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 0 to reduce the Blood Quantum requirement to qualify as a successor beneficiary from one-quarter to one-thirty-second Hawaiian Whereas, Section 0(a) of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 0, as amended, requires that the relatives of lessees be at least one-quarter Hawaiian to qualify to succeed to leases of Hawaiian Home Lands upon the death of the lessee; and Whereas, The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 0 defined "native Hawaiians" as persons with fifty percent or more Hawaiian blood, however Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana ole, the territory's nonvoting delegate to Congress, supported a blood quantum threshold of no less than one-thirty-second; and Whereas, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana ole, anticipating future interracial marriages of the Hawaiian people, originally advocated for a blood quantum requirement of no less than one-thirty-second to perpetuate Native Hawaiian presence on the land; and Whereas, A one-thirty-second blood quantum requirement to qualify to inherit Hawaiian Home Lands leases from a beneficiary who fulfills the definition of "native Hawaiian" as having "not less than one-half part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands previous to 1" does not seem unreasonable; and Whereas, Such a change to the law would allow homesteads that have been in families for generations to continue to be passed down to descendants that may currently lack the prerequisite blood quantum; and Whereas, Any measure proposing to lower the blood quantum level for beneficiaries requires an amendment to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and the consent of the United States as provided in Article XII, section of the Hawai i State Constitution; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i at its 01 Convention hereby encourage the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to work in consultation with homestead beneficiaries and continue to support amending the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 0, as amended, to reduce the blood quantum requirement to qualify as a successor beneficiary from one-quarter to one-thirty-second Hawaiian, and prepare a bill for introduction to the th 01 State of Hawai i Legislative session; and be it Ordered, That copies of the resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Hawai i, Lieutenant Governor of Hawai i, all Democratic Party members of the Hawai i State Legislature, members of Hawaii s congressional delegation, and the Chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.. Page of 1

5 Elimination of the IRS Percentage Depletion Calculation Whereas, The Internal Revenue Service allows depreciation of certain mineral resources using the Percentage Depletion Calculation; and Whereas, This method allows depreciation of assets far in excess of the capital investment required to retrieve these resources; and Whereas, This excess depreciation shields income from taxes that are due to the Federal Government; and Whereas, The Republican Party continues to assert that the Government of the United States is broke ; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i demands the IRS rules allowing the use of the Percentage Depletion Calculation be eliminated, and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i demands that other tax loopholes be closed; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i ask each member of the legislature without regard to party affiliation and the Governor of the State of Hawai i and each member of the Hawai i Congressional Delegation to publically state their position and actions they support to close tax loopholes; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai i State Legislature and of the Hawai i State Congressional delegation. Page of 1

6 To Eliminate Superdelegates from the Process of Selecting the Democratic Presidential Candidate and for Related Purposes Whereas, Our Democracy is founded on the right of each of its citizens to vote, and the guarantee that the individual vote has power, we find any action that diminishes the meaning and power of that vote to be in conflict with the fundamental values of our Constitution, our Democracy, and our Party; and, Whereas, In 01, there are approximately 1 unpledged "superdelegates" to the National Convention; and Whereas, superdelegates are the Democratic Party elite i.e., sitting and ex U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Congresswomen, and members of the Democratic National Committee, who already have clout, celebrity, and influence without these additional powers; and Whereas, In 01 the vast majority of superdelegates of the Democratic Party promised their votes to one U.S. Presidential Candidate after only three states had their primaries or caucuses; and Whereas, The regular pledged delegates after the Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada Caucuses and Primaries showed a one point difference, 1 to 0, in pledged delegates between the two main democratic Presidential Candidates, as of February 01, yet the superdelegates had voiced their loyalties on Feb 01, to 1 in favor of the lead candidate giving that candidate a media advantage and unusual dominance from a small number of privileged people; and Whereas, The perception can be that the reason the superdelegates choose to align themselves early with an establishment candidate is to gain favor and position with that candidate for future personal advancement; and Whereas, Since 1, these superdelegates have each been allotted one vote, with the exception of the Democrats Abroad superdelegates who are allotted ½ vote, despite the fact that they have not been legitimately elected by delegates to the state party conventions; and Whereas, These 1 superdelegates are, by sheer numbers, able to profoundly affect the results of the presidential nominating process; and Whereas, There is a real and present danger that a U.S. President who is put into power by a majority of just 1 Democratic office holders and DNC officials risks being dismissed by the nation and world, with a process that is considered undemocratic; now therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai I urges the National Democratic Party to eliminate the institution of superdelegates ; and be it further Resolved, That until the institution of superdelegates is eliminated at the national level, current Democratic Party superdelegates be required to vote at the State and National Convention in a manner consistent with the majority popular vote in their respective voting district or state; and be it further Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai i. Page of 1

7 To Eliminate Superdelegates from the Process of Selecting the Democratic Presidential Candidate Whereas, Our Democracy is founded on the right of each of its citizens to vote, and the guarantee that the individual vote has power, we find any action that diminishes the meaning and power of that vote to be in conflict with the fundamental values of our Constitution, our Democracy, and our Party; and, Whereas, In 01, there are approximately 1 unpledged "superdelegates" to the National Convention; and Whereas, superdelegates are the Democratic Party elite i.e., sitting and ex U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Congresswomen, and members of the Democratic National Committee, who already have clout, celebrity, and influence without these additional powers; and Whereas, In 01 the vast majority of superdelegates of the Democratic Party promised their votes to one U.S. Presidential Candidate after only three states had their primaries or caucuses; and Whereas, The regular pledged delegates after the Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada Caucuses and Primaries showed a one point difference, 1 to 0, in pledged delegates between the two main democratic Presidential Candidates, as of February 01, yet the superdelegates had voiced their loyalties on Feb 01, to 1 in favor of the lead candidate giving that candidate a media advantage and unusual dominance from a small number of privileged people; and Whereas, The perception can be that the reason the superdelegates choose to align themselves early with an establishment candidate is to gain favor and position with that candidate for future personal advancement; and Whereas, Since 1, these superdelegates have each been allotted one vote, with the exception of the Democrats Abroad superdelegates who are allotted ½ vote, despite the fact that they have not been legitimately elected by delegates to the state party conventions; and Whereas, These 1 superdelegates are, by sheer numbers, able to profoundly affect the results of the presidential nominating process; and Whereas, There is a real and present danger that a U.S. President who is put into power by a majority of just 1 Democratic office holders and DNC officials risks being dismissed by the nation and world, with a process that is considered undemocratic; now therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai I urges the National Democratic Party to eliminate the institution of superdelegates ; and be it further Resolved, That until the institution of superdelegates is eliminated at the national level, current Democratic Party superdelegates be required to vote at the State and National Convention in a manner consistent with the majority popular vote in their respective voting district or state; and be it further Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai i. Page of 1

8 Elimination of Super Delegates From the Process of Selecting the Democratic Nominee for President. Whereas, It is the intent of the Democratic Party to carry out the process of selecting the Democratic Presidential Candidate in the most democratic manner possible; and Whereas, It is the intent of the Democratic Party to empower the membership of the Democratic Party and to best represent the power of the membership as a whole, with each member having an equal say as to who will be the Party s Nominee for President; and Whereas, Allowing select members of the Democratic Party and certain elected officials who are members of the Democratic Party to be Super Delegates is not the most democratic process as it allows certain persons to have an inordinate impact on the outcome of the selection process; Whereas, In 01, there are 1 unpledged or so-called Super Delegates to the national convention; consisting of 0 distinguished party leaders, 1 Democratic Governors, Democratic Senators, Democratic House members and delegates elected primarily by Democratic National Committee members; and Whereas, These Super Delegates have been allotted each one vote, with the exception of the Democrats Abroad Super Delegates who are allotted ½ vote, despite the fact that they have not been elected by members of any Democratic Party of any State; and Whereas, These 1 Super Delegates are able to profoundly affect the results of presidential nominating process at the Democratic National Convention; and Whereas, Allowing 1 unelected Super Delegates a vote may not reflect the will of the members of the Democratic Party as determined by each state party delegate selection process; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the National Democratic Party eliminate the institution of Super Delegates ; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawaii encourages those who currently qualify as Super Delegates to vote at the State and National Convention consistent with the majority popular vote in their respective District ; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the State Central Committee, the Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i and the appropriate members of the organizing committee for the 01 State Convention of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i. In order to reflect the will of the members of the Democratic Party, a copy of the resolution should be transmitted to each Super Delegate. Page of 1

9 Call for a Transaction Tax on Financial instruments Whereas, Michael Lewis book Flash Boys clearly reveals that many, if not most, transactions on stocks and bonds are routed through private communications networks, sometimes referred to as Dark Pools, where bid and sell orders are momentarily delayed so that sophisticated high-frequency trading computer systems can enter an order to arrive at a public market before the original order, thus allowing the price of the stock or bond to the originator of the order to be slightly higher or lower; and Whereas, That slight change in price is a guaranteed profit to the owners of those private networks which intercepted the original order; and Whereas, Dark Pools are also used to avoid an open market and hide the transfer of ownership of Stocks, Bonds and Derivatives thus encouraging criminal activity; and Whereas, This manipulation of the market is immoral if not illegal and contrary to the notion of a free market on which the US economy is based; and Whereas, The implementation of a 0.1% tax on Financial Transactions of Stocks, Bonds and Derivatives will make this interception and manipulation of market orders unprofitable; now therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawaii supports implementation of a Federal Financial Transaction Tax on all sales and purchases of Stock, Bonds, and Derivatives; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai`i supports implementation of both Federal and State Regulations which will eliminate Dark Pools, and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai`I ask each member of the legislature without regard to party affiliation and the Governor of the State of Hawai`I and each member of the Hawaii Congressional Delegation to publically state their position and actions they support to implement a Financial Transaction Tax; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai`I ask each member of the legislature without regard to party affiliation and the Governor of the State of Hawai`I and each member of the Hawaii Congressional Delegation to publically state their position and actions they support to eliminate Dark Pools ; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai i State Legislature and of the Hawai i State Congressional delegation. Page of 1

10 Calling for Fulfillment of 01 Health Data Collection Resolutions Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai i accepted two resolutions pertaining to health related data collection: HHS 01-, Calling for neighborhood specific cancer cluster data collection and HHS 01-0, calling for neighborhood specific birth defect data collection; and Whereas, Health data collection has not been accomplished and there is no date promised by which this will be accomplished; and Whereas, The recent report of the Kaua i Joint Fact Finding Task Force states this missing data makes it impossible to recommend regulations for the management of Pesticides in the State of Hawai i; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i calls on the Hawai i State Legislature and the Governor of Hawai i to take action to collect this missing data and make it publicly available; and be it further Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawai i, all members of the Hawai i State Legislature and the members of the Hawai i State Congressional delegation. Page of 1

11 Urging that Student Loan Forgiveness or Reduction Measures Include Employees of Private Employers under State Contracts for Public Services Whereas, Many university and college graduates that work under state contract through private employers are not able to utilize avenues of student loan reduction; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i urge expansion or creation of programs that focus on student loan reduction for public employees and employees working for private employers under state contracts for public services; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor, and Democratic Members of the Hawai i State Legislature. Page of 1

12 Requesting that the University of Hawai i Board of Regents Reinstate the University Ombuds Office Whereas, The UH Mānoa ombuds office does not replace or undercut the efforts of existing administrators, but rather complements their efforts; and Whereas, Busy UH officials cannot possibly devote enough time to the typical functions of an Ombudsman; and Whereas, Such an office would address important issues including but not limited to: (1) Communicating the views and voices of students, faculty, and staff to decision makers; () Harassment or discrimination; () Violations of University of Hawai i at Mānoa policy; () Professional and organizational disputes; () Ethical dilemmas; () Cultural misunderstandings; () Conflicts of interest; () Student employment issues and disputes; () Assistance to administrators and regents in analyzing and framing difficult issues; () Disputes between the university and the community at large; () Health and safety concerns; () Availability and transparency of public information regarding university policies, finances, decisions, and programs; () Academic freedom; and (1) Threats or retaliation; and Whereas, All of these have been or are areas of concern for various stakeholders, particularly. items #1 Communicating the views and voices of students, faculty, and staff to decision makers ; # Student employment issues and disputes; and # Availability and transparency of public information regarding university policies, finances, decisions, and programs; and Whereas, The absence of an independent and objective ombuds has exacerbated the trauma, drama, and rift between state decision makers and the university, leading to ongoing frustrations, criticisms, and standoffs regarding funding; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i urge the University of Hawai i Board of Regents to reestablish an independent ombuds office; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to University of Hawai i Board of Regents, the Faculty Senate, University student government organizations, and the public sector unions. Page of 1

13 Joining a Political Party on the Voter Registration Form Whereas, In many states residents may join a political party by selecting it on their voter registration form; and Whereas, In Hawai i, political parties must be joined separately from the voter registration form; and Whereas, In Hawai i many people are unaware that they must join their desired political party separately from their voter registration; and Whereas, In the 01 Presidential Preference Poll, a significant portion of the long wait times in many districts were the result of new registrations to the Democratic Party of Hawai i from voters who were unaware that they were not already members of the Democratic Party of Hawai i, or had intended to join previously and were unaware it would create long wait times; and Whereas, Many members of the Democratic Party of Hawai i are strongly against voter suppression, and believe that allowing voter registration and party registration at the Presidential Preference Poll is the antithesis of voter suppression; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i calls upon its members in the State Legislature to draft, sponsor, and pass legislation requiring the option to join a political party on the voter registration form; and be it further Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i continue to allow party registration on its own website and using its own form; and be it further Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i continue to allow voter registration and party registration at the Presidential Preference Poll; and finally be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be delivered to the members of the Hawai i State Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai i, the Lt. Governor of the State of Hawai i, and the Executive Officers of the Democratic Party of Hawai i. Page of 1

14 Relating to Predators Whereas, Chapter D, Hawai i Revised Statutes, defines predators as animals destructive of wildlife by nature of their predatory habits, including mongooses, cats, dogs, and rats; and Whereas, Current law provides that on any game management area, public hunting area, or forest reserve or other lands under the jurisdiction of the department, the Department of Land and Natural Resources may destroy predators deemed harmful to other wildlife by any means necessary; and Whereas, Additional measures are needed to address an overpopulation of predators on public lands and prevent them from causing further harm to endangered, native wildlife; and Whereas, Legislation has been proposed that would make it unlawful to feed, water or otherwise care for unrestrained predators; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawaii urge the State Legislature to pass legislation requiring a catch and release policy when practical and the extermination of predators that severely impact endangered wildlife as defined by the Department of Land and Natural Resources when not practical; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai i State Legislature and the members of the Hawai i Congressional delegation. Page of 1

15 Urging the State of Hawai i and all Departments tasked with Procurement of contracts to allow private contracted employees to engage in collective bargaining practice as part of Request for Proposal compliance standards Whereas, Employees of private employers are discouraged from engaging in collective bargaining practices the current federal laws governing collective bargaining according to the National Labor Relations Board allows employers to fire individuals that may be engaging in practices such as organizing fellow employees into creating a union only needing to compensate for back pay: and Whereas, Private Employers discourage collective bargaining practices what otherwise would be considered certificated positions within the state are not given the opportunity to improve working conditions which foster continuity of services for consumers; And be it therefore Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawaii urges The State of Hawai i departments responsible for contract procurement must have a clause as part of any contracts awarded that employees of the awarded contractor must be allowed to engage in collective bargaining practices to include actions such as and not limited to, attend meeting with the purpose of garnering information on collective bargaining practice or giving testimony at legislative houses committees exedra, concerned with organized labor practices; Employees engaging in such actions shall be exempt from termination; And be it Resolved, In addition, employees that which would otherwise be considered a bargaining unit(s) can organize regardless of the company affiliation as long as the services and or Level of Care are considered the same service; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawai i and Democratic Members of the Hawai i State Legislature. Page 1 of 1

16 Relating to Education Funding Whereas, The Education Plank of the Democratic Party of Hawaii s Platform affirms that the Democratic Party of Hawai i supports - prioritization of our State s fiscal resources toward providing quality education and library services, those pursuing a profession in education shall be compensated with a competitive wage based on national standards while taking into consideration the state's cost of living, and a dedicated source of funding for the Department of Education; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i is appalled that the State of Hawai i pays our public school teachers less than any other state in the country, when you factor our state s high cost of living and that there is no dedicated funding for education, which requires public education to compete with other key government services for a limited pool of resources; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i recognizes that we fund our regular education students at a ratio per student less than any other state, when factoring in the higher cost of living, and only about a third of what students in private schools in the state get; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i recognizes our public school students often lack qualified teachers and the DOE cannot even tell us how many qualified librarians there are; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i declares that the neglect to our public education system has devastating results for our public school students so much so that as of 01 fourth grade students have on average a percent ineptitude at reading; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i recognizes and agrees with the Hawaii State Teachers' Association s estimates that it will cost over $00 million dollars to provide properly maintained classrooms with heat abatement, pay incentives to hire qualified teachers for all classrooms, hire qualified librarians for all schools, begin pre-k public education and ensure class sizes that allow effective teaching of reading, math, social science, and natural science; and be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i calls on the Hawai i State Legislature to raise an extra $00 million for these education goals through either a one (1) percent hike in the General Excise Tax or another recognized and reliable revenue generating method; and finally be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to all members of Hawaii s Congressional Delegation, the Governor of the State of Hawai i, the Lt. Governor of the State of Hawai i, and all members of the Hawai i State Legislature who are members of the Democratic Party of Hawai i. Page 1 of 1

17 Promote Family Savings A Last Step Whereas, In 01 both the State of Hawai i and the United States had legislation that prohibited the use of savings promotion raffle products to promote family savings by financial institutions within their jurisdictions; and Whereas, Both before and after, several states allowed the provision of prize-linked savings (PLS) accounts to promote savings by offerring participants chances to win prizes based on deposit activity (the more you save the more chances to win) with the savings never at risk as a safe, regulated financial product of credit unions; and Whereas, These PLS accounts have proven to attract people who previously did not save and those with low incomes helping them build financial safety nets for themselves for future financial needs and as an alternative to costly credit; and Whereas, On December 1, 01, President Obama signed into law Pub.L. -1 American Savings Promotion Act to provide for the use of savings promotion raffle products by financial institutions to encourage savings in which the sole consideration required for a chance of winning designated prizes is obtained by the deposit of a specified amount of money in a savings account or program by exempting such programs from from federal laws against illegal gambling and racketeering; and Whereas, Such promotions are not gambling because the saver does not risk any losses or pay any fee to participate and the saver retains the entire amount of his or her savings; and Whereas, Banks and credit unions in Hawai i will still not participate because of State statutes governing gambling, raffles and lotteries unless and until those State statutes are also modified to exempt these savings promotion raffle products; and Whereas, The laws in the State of Hawai i are the last legal impediment to offerring the benefit of PLS to our residents; and Whereas, Nationally in 0, personal savings as a percent of disposable personal Income was less than % while mortgage and consumer debt payments was at double that rate, more than 0% of American households lack the savings to cover basic expenses for months if an unexpected event leads to a loss of stable income, and 1% of children born to high-saving but low-income parents move up from the bottom income quintile over one generation compared with only 0% of children from similarly low-income households whose parents do not save; and Whereas, In 01, the Democratic Party of Hawai i supported a similar resolution (GOV 01-0 Promote Family Savings) when there was the additional barrier of federal regulation that has now been removed; and Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai i has always supported the efforts of our people to improve their standards of living and hopes and dreams for their children; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Hawai i State Legislature introduce and pass legislation to allow credit unions and banks in Hawai i to offer such prize-linked savings accounts consistent with the national American Savings Promotion Act; and be it further Resolved, That Resolution GOV 01-0 is hereby rescinded and replaced by this resolution; and be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor and to all members of the Hawai i State Legislature. Page 1 of 1

18 Utilization of Search and Rescue Resources for Public Safety Whereas, There are dozens and possibly hundreds of persons who have gone missing or lost in Hawai i and have never been found in cases where expert volunteer search and rescue organizations were not utilized; and Whereas, There exists expert volunteer search and rescue organizations in a majority of counties in Hawai i, most of which were created within the last two years; and Whereas, Police and fire departments in Hawai i do not yet utilize expert volunteer search and rescue organizations; and Whereas, In nearly all other states and industrialized countries, law enforcement and government agencies call upon expert volunteer search and rescue organizations to participate and assist in search and rescue operations; and Whereas, In Hawai i expert volunteer search and rescue organizations are only called upon by family members of the lost or missing person, which requires family members be aware of the expert volunteer search and rescue organization and how to call them; and Whereas, Numerous lives in Hawai i would be saved if law enforcement and fire departments immediately called upon expert volunteer search and rescue organizations to participate and assist in search and rescue operations; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That public safety agencies in Hawai i are urged to call upon expert volunteer search and rescue organizations immediately when a person becomes lost or missing; and be it further Resolved, The Democratic Party of Hawai i calls upon its members to draft, sponsor, and pass legislation requiring law enforcement and fire departments to implement policies to call upon expert volunteer search and rescue organizations immediately when a person becomes lost or missing; and finally be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor of the State of Hawai i, The Lt. Governor of the State of Hawai i, members of all the County Councils in the state of Hawai i, mayors in the state of Hawai i, members of the Hawai i State Legislature, and law enforcement and fire department chiefs in the State of Hawai i. Page 1 of 1

19 Requesting That the University of Hawai i Board of Regents Repeal its Policy of Discouraging Running for Public Office Whereas, The University of Hawai i Board of Regents has adopted Policy RP.0 on Political Activity, which requires all employees who, on their own time, campaign for a public office, to take a leave of absence without pay; and Whereas, The policy states in part: All employees under the jurisdiction of the board seeking a public elective office shall, without exception: a. Request, or in absence of such request, to be placed on a leave of absence without pay in accordance with university policy upon actively seeking political office, but in no event later than the filing of nomination papers or the announcement of candidacy for such office; and Whereas, This policy is applied not only to candidates for major political offices such as the legislature or city or county council, but also OHA, and neighborhood boards; and Whereas, The rationale for this policy is that participation in our electoral democratic life creates a conflict of interest, an embarrassment to the university, and an appearance of impropriety; and Whereas, This is an inappropriate form of censorship and an attempt to discourage participation in democracy that results in a de facto prohibition in that candidates must lose all of their income for several months, even if they subsequently lose an election; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Democratic Party of Hawai i urge the University of Hawai i Board of Regents to repeal Policy RP.0 on Political Activity; and finally be it Ordered, That copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to University of Hawai i Board of Regents, the Faculty Senate, the public sector unions, and all neighborhood boards. Page 1 of 1