Legislative Report

2005 is first year Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hawaii Family Forum link legislative efforts

By the Hawaii Catholic Conference

This was the first year in the collaboration between the Hawaii Catholic Conference (HCC), the public policy arm of the Diocese of Honolulu, and the Hawaii Family Forum (HFF), a non-denominational pro-family educational organization, under the leadership of attorney and lobbyist Kelly M. Rosati.

Rosati was the spokeswoman for the Diocese of Honolulu at the state legislature, the 2005 session of which closed on May 5.

Here are some of the issues she addressed this legislative session.

Physician-assisted suicide

Each year efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Hawaii get stronger. The HCC strongly opposed this measure as did HFF. Also this year, the medical community came out in force in opposition to those efforts, following the lead of Hawaii’s Partnership for Appropriate and Compassionate Care (a 1998 Hawaii Family Forum/Hawaii Medical Association coalition of community groups opposed to physician assisted suicide). The proposed bill (HB 1454) would have allowed a terminally ill, competent adult to obtain a lethal dose of medication to end his or her life. The bill died in the House Health Committee.

Embryonic stem cell research

Numerous bills were proposed that would have the state officially endorse and promote embryonic stem cell research and even human cloning. (HB 288; HCR 100, HR 75, HCR 89, HR 66, SCR 200). The HCC strongly opposed them because they would sanction the intentional destruction of human life for research purposes. The HCC and the HFF, instead went on record supporting promising developments in the non-controversial area of adult stem cell research and encouraged legislators to further study embryonic and cloning research before providing approval. These efforts were successful and the legislature will ask the University of Hawaii Medical School to establish a task force to examine the issue before any legislative action. At HCC’s request, the legislature will include on the panel representatives of faith-based groups.

Megan’s law

HCC supported Hawaii’s version of Megan’s law (SB 708 SD2 HD 1) which protects Hawaii’s keiki from convicted, registered sex offenders living in their neighborhoods. The bill passed both the House and Senate and was sent to the governor for signature. Testimony supported the final bill which contained the following components: information including the sex offender’s address easily accessible via the internet; inclusion of child porn collectors and computer enticers of children; and compliance with federal law

Emergency contraceptives

The HCC successfully negotiated an amendment — agreeable even to Planned Parenthood — to proposed bill HB 1240 HD 1, exempting, for religious reasons, St. Francis Medical Center emergency rooms from the bill’s requirement to dispense emergency contraceptives to sex assault survivors. The legislation passed through the House Health and Judiciary Committees, but ultimately died in the Finance Committee, reportedly because some members opposed the religious exemption.

Housing and employment

The HCC and the HFF opposed HB 1715, which prohibits discrimination in real property transactions on the basis of gender entity or expression, and sexual orientation, because it did not provide an appropriate religious exemption and therefore infringed on the First Amendment free exercise rights of people of faith. A similar bill, HB 1450, adds gender identity and expression as a statutorily protected class in employment law. Only four other states have created “gender identity or expression” as a protected class and Hawaii will soon become the fifth. Both bills overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate and were given to the governor for signature on April 21.<F"Times New Roman"IU>

Adoption promotion, awareness

After much negotiating on the part of HCC and HFF, the governor plans to establish soon a Blue Ribbon Panel on Adoption Promotion, of which Rosati will be a member. The panel will discuss significantly increased resources and education for specialized attachment therapy; social worker caseload ratios; and legal impediments such as restrictions on publishing pictures of children awaiting families

Safe haven for newborns

A promising piece of legislation that again failed this session was the “safe haven for babies” bill (HB 540). HCC strongly supported the bill which would have allowed birthmothers to leave unwanted newborns under the care of hospitals without the risk of arrest. The bill passed the House but died in the Senate.

Child safety

HFF testified in favor of HB 289 which, had it passed, would have empowered law enforcement personnel who observe a child left unsupervised in a motor vehicle and judge that the child is in danger, to use whatever means is necessary to protect the child. The bill died in committee.

Domestic abuse protective orders

The HCC supported HB 433 relating to domestic abuse protective orders because a loophole exists under the current law, which prevents enforcement officials to hold accountable offenders in violation of the terms of applicable temporary restraining or subsequent protective orders. Under the new bill respondents could have been held responsible for violations of the temporary restraining order until the service of the protective order. The bill passed the House, but was never heard in the Senate.

Catholic pre-schools

The legislation SB 1018 SD1 HD1 CD1 created a task force to examine the issues surrounding the deregulation of private preschools and named the Superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools as one of its five members. Earlier versions of the bill could have made Hawaii’s Catholic schools subject to oversight by a separate private entity. The bill was also amended to reflect the high standards applied to accredited Catholic schools so as not to unduly burden Hawaii’s Catholic preschools. HCC supported this measure.

Appropriation for senior centers

A bill to grant funding for senior centers that offer important activities and services to elderly Hawaii residents (SB 1202) was gutted and ultimately included in a larger Omnibus package. Following the lead of Catholic Charities Hawaii, HCC submitted testimony in favor of this measure.

Housing issues

Along with Catholic Charities, the HCC strongly supported HB 1303 HD2, which abolishes the rental housing trust fund advisory commission and allows use of the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund for permanent financing. It also authorizes government obligation bonds to repair and build low-income housing and establishes a committee to consider Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii division.

State rent supplement program

HCC supported (SB 1854 SD 1) which removes the statutory limitation on the subsidy amount under the State Rent Supplement Program and specifies that the income limit for participation in the program shall not exceed 60 percent of the area median income. The bill was deferred by the Conference Committee.

Homelessness

A bill that both Catholic Charities and the HCC supported, that would appropriate funds out of the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund for a variety of homeless and transitional housing initiatives across the state (SB1851 HD1), never made it to the Finance committee.

Federal homelessness policies

Both the HCC and HFF testified in support of a resolution (HCR 3) that would urge the President and Congress to support federal policies geared toward finding solutions to end homelessness in the United States. The measure passed both the House and Senate.