In 2006, I focused my priorities on those issues upon which I campaigned that have impacted our quality of life in District 40 -- traffic, education, crime, smart growth development, economic growth for the Second City, crime, the environment and renewable energy, and healthcare with an emphasis on affordable prescription drugs.
Representative Sharon Har's Accomplishments
TRAFFIC
To help alleviate traffic created by the constant growth throughout Kapolei, Sharon secured funding for the design and construction of the North-South Road, the East-West Road, the widening of Fort Barrette Road (which includes sidewalks, lighting, and bikeways), and the H-1 p.m. Zipperlane. Additionally, Sharon fought for funds which have been appropriated for infrastructure safety improvements in Kalaeloa, including traffic signals, roadway markings and signage, emergency call boxes and lighting fixtures. Significant site improvements will also be made to the Kalaeloa Airport as well as the Barbers Point Harbor.
EDUCATION
Having dedicated a significant portion of her life to schooling, Sharon is well aware of the importance of a quality education. Accordingly, Sharon took the lead on securing funding for the UH-West Oahu campus as part of government's commitment to the people of Kapolei and Makakilo was to fund a top-notch university in Kapolei. UHWO is currently in the process of procuring its entitlements with the City and County of Honolulu and Sharon continues to work with Chancellor Gene Awakuni in this endeavor to ensure that UHWO finally becomes a reality.
Sharon also secured funding for Kapolei Elementary, Kapolei Middle, Kapolei High, Makakilo Elementary, Mauka Lani Elementary, Barbers Point Elementary and Kaleiopu'u Elementary Schools.
In addition to assisting our public schools, Sharon introduced HB 2614 this year to help Island Pacific Academy obtain a $30 million special purpose revenue bond for the construction of an additional classroom building and gymnasium. This bill was signed into law as Act 073.
Finally, to ensure that we have caring, competent, and qualified teachers in our classrooms, Sharon passed HB 777 which helps to recruit and retain qualified teachers in hard-to-fill positions and in rural area schools.
CRIME
Sharon is outraged at the copper wiring theft that has run rampant on our freeways and other areas. As a result, Sharon worked with the Chair of Judiciary, Representative Tommy Waters, on drafting legislation to create stiffer penalties for copper theft. Last year, HB 800 was passed by the legislature making copper theft a class C felony. This year, Sharon co-introduced HB 2589 which requires scrap dealers and recyclers to pay for copper purchases by check after five days of receipt thus acting as a deterrent from thieves who need immediate cash and creating a paper trail of the transaction.
Drunken driving is a crime that has causes senseless deaths in our state. Sharon is all too familiar with this crime as she was hit head-on by a drunken driver during the 2007 legislative session. Based on her experience, she worked closely with her colleagues in the House and members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to draft a comprehensive law that would get drunk drivers off of our roads. This year, Sharon introduced House Bill 3377, Relating to Highway Safety, which requires the installation of an ignition interlock device on the vehicle of a person arrested for driving under the influence. The vehicle ignition interlock device prevents the person from starting or operating a motor vehicle with more than a minimal alcohol concentration while the person's case is pending and while the person's license is revoked. The bill also establishes a task force to prepare for the implementation of the interlock device, which will be implemented throughout the state in 2010. Sharon will serve on the task force that will make recommendations to the legislature about administration and implementation of the ignition interlock.
SMART GROWTH DEVELOPMENT
Sharon is proud to report that HB 2523, Relating to the Land Use Commission, passed during the 2008 legislative session and was signed into law as Act 026. HB 2523 requires the Land Use Commission to take into consideration county general plans or community development plans in its decision-making when reclassifying lands. This law provides for expanded cooperation between the state and county when making decisions regarding land classification and will ensure that West Oahu is developed in accordance with the Ewa Development Plan. Sharon served as the chair of the Task Force on Smart Growth during the 2007 interim and this bill was a result of her work with the Task Force.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
As residents of the fastest growing district in the State of Hawaii, we understand that more jobs must be created on the Leeward coast so that we no longer have to commute to and from town. To this end, Sharon worked with the Chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Business Concerns, Rep. Kyle Yamashita, in revising the state enterprise tax law. HB 2739 passed out of the legislature this year and provides a tax credit to new businesses in Kapolei that create new jobs in their companies during the last four years of receiving the tax credit.
Sharon also worked with the chairs of Ways and Means and Finance, Senator Roz Baker and Representative Marcus Oshiro, respectively, to ensure that $50,000 was appropriated to the Judiciary for a study on expanding the new Kapolei family courthouse to a full-service courthouse. Sharon believes if we are to be a true future "second city," then we need a full service courthouse in order to create jobs, encourage economic growth, and to alleviate traffic so that residents of West Oahu do not have to travel into town to deal with judicial matters.
OPEN SPACE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
As we live in the fastest growing district in the State of Hawaii, Sharon recognizes the importance of preserving open space while protecting and drawing from our natural resources to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. As the agricultural lands in Kunia are some of our most important and viable agricultural lands left on Oahu, Sharon strongly supported the development of the Kunia Agricultural Park which allows the Department of Agriculture to develop five-acre farm lots for lease to small farmers. The Kunia Agricultural Park will ensure that these lands remain in agriculture for years to come.
To protect our environment, Sharon supported HB 226 which made Hawaii the second State in the nation to establish a framework of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sharon further co-introduced HB 2502 this session which permits solar energy facilities to be built on marginal agricultural lands to allow us to "farm" the sun.
HEALTHCARE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR SENIORS
Providing quality healthcare for all of Hawaii's children became a reality in the 2007 legislative session with the passage of the Keiki Care Bill. This health care program will provide coverage to uninsured children who are at least 31 days of age to 18 years of age. The legislation, which Sharon strongly supported, was expanded this year to the children of former Aloha Airlines employees, and children of any Hawaii based corporation that ceased doing business between February 29 and September 30, 2008.
During the 2007 legislative session, Sharon strongly supported HB 10 which expanded the Hawaii Rx Plus Program by making rebate agreements between drug manufacturers and the State mandatory thus lowering the costs of these drugs. This session, Sharon strongly supported and voted to override the Governor's veto of HB 7 which establishes the state's participation in the I-Save Rx prescription drug program providing residents with increased access to affordable prescription drugs.
In just two short years, Sharon has accomplished a great deal for the community. But there is still more to be done, and she remains committed to addressing these and other issues that will improve the quality of life for all residents of the 40th District.
Capital Improvement Projects and Budget Appropriations
Capital Improvement Project funding (CIP) is critical to our district as CIP is used to pay for infrastructure. The following projects were funded by the Legislature during Sharon's first term that will benefit the 40th District:
| Kalaeloa Safety Improvements | $850,000 |
| Plans, design, construction, and equipment to install life safety infrastructure in Kalaeloa | |
| Barbers Point Harbor | $6,600,000 |
| Design of utility, infrastructure improvements, a new fuel pier, and other site related improvements | |
| Fort Barrette Road Widening | $20,000,000 |
| Land acquisition and construction for widening the existing roadway to four lanes including right and left turning lanes from Farrington Highway to Barbers Point Gate | |
| Waiahole Water System Improvements | $163,000 |
| Design for improvements | |
| Malama Learning Center at Kapolei High School | $500,000 |
| Plans, design, and construction for a sustainable building for science, conservation, culture, and arts education in West Oahu | |
| Kapolei Judiciary Complex (2007 and 2008) | $34,425,000 |
| Plans, land acquisition, design, construction and equipment for the new Kapolei Judiciary Complex | |
| Island Pacific Academy | $30,000,000 |
| Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds up to $30,000,000 for planning and construction of educational facilities | |
| University of Hawaii West (2007) | $135,000,000 |
| Design, construction, and equipment for the development of the University of Hawaii - West Oahu | |
| Kalaeloa Airport Facility Improvements (2007) | $6,455,000 |
| Construction for Kalaeloa Airport facility improvements | |
| H-1 PM Zipperlane (2007) | $5,000,000 |
| Design for an afternoon contraflow lane on H-1 from the Airport Interchange to the Waiawa Interchange | |
| Fort Barrette Road Widening (2007) | $20,200,000 |
| Land acquisition and construction for widening the existing roadway to four lanes | |
| East-West Collector Road (2007) | $17,225,000 |
| Design and construction of a four lane collector road south of Farrington Highway in the vicinity of the UH-West Oahu campus in Kapolei | |
| North/South Road (2007) | $55,000,000 |
| Construction for North/South Road from Kapolei Parkway to the vicinity of the H-1 Freeway | |
| Kaleiopu‘u Elementary School(2007) | $635,000 |
| Design and construction for a covered walkway; electrical upgrades | |
| Mauka Lani Elementary School (2007) | $475,000 |
| Design and construction for electrical system improvements | |
| Pacific Aerospace Training Center, Hangar 111 (2007) | $3,288,000 |
| Design and reroofing of Hanger 111 | |
| Kalaeloa Safety Improvements (2007) | $250,000 |
| Plans, design, construction, and equipment to install life safety infrastructure in Kalaeloa | |
| Kunia Agricultural Park | $250,000 |
| Plans to develop Kunia Agricultural Park | |
| TOTAL: $336,316,000 | |
School Repair and Maintenance Projects
While our community is fortunate to have some of the newest schools in the state, we also have schools that have been serving our keiki for many years. School repair and maintenance is integral to providing a safe learning environment for our children. All the schools in the district received funding over the past two years for various repair and maintenance projects.
| Barbers Point Elementary School (2007 and 2008) | $475,000 |
| Kapolei Elementary School (2007) | $333,000 |
| Kapolei High School (2007) | $100,000 |
| Kapolei Middle School (2007) | $45,000 |
| Makakilo Elementary School (2007) | $184,000 |
| Mauka Lani Elementary School (2007) | $304,000 |
| TOTAL: $1,441,000 | |
Grants-In-Aid
Grants-In-Aid (GIA) are funds appropriated by the Legislature to a specified recipient to support the activities of the recipient and to enable the community to benefit from those activities. Over the past two years, organizations in our community received over $3 million in GIA funds.
| Makakilo Baptist Church Preschool | $200,000 |
| Malama Learning Center at Kapolei High School (2007) | $275,000 |
| Easter Seals Hawaii (2007) | $1,000,000 |
| Salvation Army (2007) | $1,500,000 |
| American Box Car Racing International (2007) | $75,000 |
| TOTAL: $3,050,000 | |
