|
Hawaii's Voice
for Healthcare
May
8, 2009
Dear
Friends,
The legislative
session ended today
and I would like to
thank you again for
the honor of
representing you as
your State Senator.
There were tough
decisions to make
this year, a year in
which the economic
recession hit Hawaii
hard, as it has
states all across
our country. In my
deliberations on all
the issues we faced
this year, I fully
considered your
input and interests
before I cast my
votes.
Our largest
challenge at the
legislature was to
find a way to
balance the budget
while maintaining
essential state
services. My goal
was to avoid cuts
wherever possible in
essential services
like health and
public safety, while
at the same time
avoiding tax
increases.
I voted against tax
increases on
tourism, wages, and
property
transactions because
I felt the impact
would be too great
on Hawaii's working
families, our
tourism industry,
and home owners. I
was concerned that
more people would
lose jobs or perhaps
even leave the state
for the mainland.
Instead, I felt a
better approach was
to use special funds
that had accumulated
in non-essential
programs, and to
reduce or eliminate
certain tax credits
that weren't helping
the average citizen.
We were able to pass
a landmark
healthcare reform
bill, SB1673, which
will reinvent the
community hospital
system, especially
on the neighbor
islands. This bill
will make our
hospital system more
stable and
independent. It
includes an
additional $30
million over the
next twelve months
to keep all
statewide services
intact, avoiding
painful cuts in
services and labor.
Though the budget
was tight,
collaboration
between the Obama
administration and
our state government
means that
significant
appropriations will
come to West Hawaii
to improve our
infrastructure and
create many new
jobs. We will
receive over $100
million for
improvements at the
Kona Airport and
over $50 million for
regional harbor
improvements.
I also fought
successfully for $15
million in state
funds for the new
mid-level Ane
Keohokalole road in
West Hawaii which
will open up access
to the Hawaiian
Homes project in
Laiopua and to the
community college
campus which will
grow in the coming
years.
This session my
goals as your State
Senator were to
preserve the
healthcare system
and to help craft a
state budget to get
us through the
economic downturn,
while preserving
essential services,
keeping jobs in
Hawaii, and
resisting
potentially harmful
tax increases.
Working together, we
accomplished a great
deal.
Please join me on
Tuesday, May 26th
from noon to 1:30 pm
at the Kona
Community Hospital
in conference room
2/3 for a Talk Story
update on the
session. I will be
able to answer any
questions you might
have in person.
I look forward to
working with you in
the coming years to
continue making
Hawaii a better
place to live.
Josh Green M.D.
State Senate
District 3, West
Hawaii
sengreen@capitol.hawaii.gov
www.joshgreen.org |
