Resolutions Adopted

Whereas, Advances in science and technology have created many medical interventions that can prolong the dying process and increase suffering; and

Whereas, Nearly 1.6 million Americans received hospice care in 2010, up from 25,000 in 1982; and

Whereas, Three decades after hospice emerged as the standard of care for terminally ill patients, many physicians find themselves accused of murder, euthanasia and assisting suicide for providing patients with ethically and legally accepted palliative care treatments to control pain and other symptoms; and

Whereas, 25% of physicians recently surveyed said they were formally investigated by their health care institutions, state medical boards or prosecutors for using opiates to manage a dying patient’s pain, prescribing palliative and sedative medications when a patient was removed from mechanical ventilation; or delivering palliative sedation to terminally ill patients with severe, refractory pain; and

Whereas, Although none of the physicians investigated was found at fault, most reported experiencing anger, anxiety, isolation, depression, and difficulty working as a result of the ordeal; and

Whereas, Physicians' fear of criminal and civil liability and professional disciplinary actions can result in the under-treated pain and other symptoms, and cause dying patients to suffer prolonged, agonized deaths against their will; and

Whereas, Hawai‘i has never criminalized the rational, end-of-life decisions of mentally competent, terminally ill Hawai‘i residents; and

Whereas, Hawai‘i has never criminalized compassionate health care provided by Hawai‘i physicians, pursuant to an informed decisions by their dying patients, even when such decisions may be to advance the time of death; and

Whereas, Hawai‘i has long affirmed the right of individuals to make informed decisions regarding their health-care options and provided support for patients at the end of life; and

Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai‘i has, through duly-adopted prior platform planks established a long-term history of support for and endorsement of Death With Dignity/Aid In Dying; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats urge the Hawai‘i legislature take all measures to (a) ensure that Hawai‘i residents are not denied appropriate pain and symptom management; (b) protect health-care providers and patient advocates who follow best practice standards in providing end-of-life choice; and (c) affirm the right of dying patients to make informed decisions about their health care, even if such decision may be to advance the time of death; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Hawai‘i and the elected or appointed Democratic Party members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, O‘ahu and the state of Hawai‘i face economic and technological challenges such as global climate change, tumultuous global energy markets, and accelerating technological change; and

Whereas, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills will be necessary to meet these challenges with manageable economic, environmental, and cultural impacts; and

Whereas, The National Science Foundation estimated that 80% of all jobs created in the next decade will require some form of math, science, or engineering skill, so that STEM education is integral to preparing students for a prosperous future; and

Whereas, Providing engaging and rigorous STEM-related education lays the foundation for participation in a technology-dependent workforce, and prepares the citizenry for making the economic, political, and technical decisions required to successfully meet the challenges of the 21st century; and

Whereas, Student participation in activities such as the Hawai‘i State Science and Engineering Fair, Science Olympiad, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics, and the Botball competitions inspires the students, teaches skills and teamwork, and help prepare students for success in the 21st century economy; now, therefore be it

Resolved, that the O‘ahu County Democrats supports incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-related activities in the public school curricula; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and City Council of the City and County of Honolulu, to Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Preservation of the environment is essential for the economic security of the present and future citizens of the island of O‘ahu and the State of Hawai‘i; and

Whereas, The natural environment, ecosystem services, and aesthetics of our islands can be irreparably damaged by development projects, endangering Hawai‘i’s economic and cultural future; and

Whereas, The confidence of the citizens in the integrity of regulators, government, and law enforcement requires even-handed enforcement of, and compliance with, laws and regulations; and

Whereas, Both public and private developments have similar potential for environmental impacts; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats oppose government exemptions from environmental protections, regulations, and reviews, including environmental assessments and environmental impact statements; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and City Council of the City and County of Honolulu, to Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and to the heads of the county and state regulatory bodies, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, A healthy, popular, and well integrated mass transit system reduces O‘ahu County's traffic congestion, lessens our carbon emissions, and minimizes our dependence on oil imports; and

Whereas, the current Bus Schedule, which in many cases ends bus runs by 10:00 PM, discourages many citizens from using this service; and

Whereas, An expanded Express Bus schedule would encourage more people to take the bus because the difference between regular schedules and express schedules can be up to two hours travel time; and

Whereas, O‘ahu's low income and rural families have the most need for these expansions; especially in the evening, and

Whereas, O‘ahu County already has a trusted bus system that reaches all off our residents equally; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support full funding and an expansion of the current bus system to include 24-hour service on all bus routes; and be it further

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support an expansion of the current Express Bus schedules to include non-peak hours of operation; and be it further

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support the development of a free bus zone that includes China Town, Downtown Honolulu, and Waikiki; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Honolulu City Council, Mayor, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Planning, and 'The Bus'.

Whereas, The problem with money in politics is not so much the amount that is spent on campaigns as it is who pays for them, what they get in return, and how that affects public policy and spending priorities; and

Whereas, The Supreme Court ruling in "Citizens United" allowing unlimited Corporate donation to political campaigns is having a major impact our government and our elected officials; and

Whereas, The 2010 midterm election campaign was the most expensive in history, with hundreds of millions spent by anonymous, outside groups; and

Whereas, Some of the nation's largest and richest companies, including Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Koch Industries and AT&T, have joined forces to invest millions of dollars each year to promote the careers of thousands of state legislators and secure passage of legislation that puts corporate interests ahead of the interests of ordinary Americans; and

Whereas, The DISCLOSE (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections) Act would be an important step on behalf of transparency in politics because it would ensure that voters understand who is paying for the ads they see and hear; and

Whereas, The influence of anonymous, unlimited campaign contributions makes it probable that more environmentally damaging projects will be approved and environmental protections will be weakened; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, which will overturn the US Supreme Court ruling of Citizen's United, which gives corporations the same rights of speech as an individual citizen; and be it further

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support a citizen-funded fair elections system, wherein qualifying candidates, able to provide evidence of support through district signatures, may chose to have their campaigns be publicly funded rather than seek outside funding; and be It further

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support national disclosure legislation, which will require all politically funded advertisements to disclose who paid for those advertisements; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to all representatives, senators, mayors, and the governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Hoofed animals are invasive species in Hawai‘i, and invasive species can be controlled only with focused, intense, and sustained effort; and

Whereas, The Environmental Caucus of the Hawai‘i Democratic Party believes elimination of hoofed animals from prime native forest is essential to preserving the native forests of Hawai‘i; and

Whereas, Hunting in Hawai‘i is a complex issue; where many people, both hunters and non-hunters, have different agendas; where hunting is a sport, a method of animal control, a way to put food on the table, and/or a cruel abuse of animals depending on your point of view; and

Whereas, All hoofed animals in Hawai‘i are introduced animals that are recognized by natural resource experts as a significant threat to O'ahu's vital watersheds; and

Whereas, Hunters are an important part of controlling pigs and other hoofed animals in areas where hunters have access; and

Whereas, Hunter organizations working in partnerships with private landowners can help manage hoofed animal populations on private land; and

Whereas, Subsistence hunting should be encouraged on both public and private property; and

Whereas, Public testimony for years has pointed out the damage caused by hoofed animals; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats rescind Resolution 2010-07 and replace it with the following: be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support Gov. Abercrombie's Watershed Initiative, but not at the expense of existing conservation programs; and be it further

Resolved, That the Democratic Party support permanently eliminating hoofed animals from native ecosystems and important watersheds; and be it further

Resolved, That the Democratic Party supports game management programs on both public and private property not composed of prime native ecosystems and important watersheds; and be it further

Resolved, That the Democratic Party supports ahupua'a and moku management where local stake holders and natural resource managers are brought together to identify and resolve local hoofed animal control problems; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to each O‘ahu legislators in the State Legislature and the Honolulu City Council, to the Hawai‘i Governor and the Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, The state of Hawai‘i depends on imported fossil fuels sources to power its commercial, industrial, residential and transportation needs, importing over 50 Million barrels of oil per year at a cost upwards of four Billion dollars per year paid to out-of-state interests, severely impacting the costs of living and doing business in Hawai‘i; and

Whereas, Choosing the most beneficial course for a sustainable energy future for Hawai‘i requires knowing the actual costs and benefits of the various energy systems, including (but not limited to) energy cost and productivity, energy storage, environmental impact, energy security, community ownership of means of production, growth of small business, employment in well-paying jobs, and expansion of Hawai?i exports; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats urge the Hawai‘i State Legislature and Executive branch to create an independent committee to conduct an objective evaluation of sustainable energy to evaluate alternative and sustainable energy production, storage, and transmission systems; and be it further

Resolved, That energy combinations are prioritized to determine which are likely to give the most benefit to each of the counties of Hawai‘i; and be it further

Resolved, That the evaluation committee include impartial persons who are competent to evaluate technical, environmental, economic, and social considerations; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and City Council of the City and County of Honolulu, to Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and to the heads of the county and state regulatory bodies, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, The service provided by the privately-owned power generation and distribution system produces reliable, but expensive power, and is heavily dependent on fossil fuels; and

Whereas, Utilization of Hawai‘i's renewable energy sources would be in the interest of the public; and

Whereas, The public interest may be better served through public ownership of smart grid, and power plants with renewable energy sources; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democratic Party shall request an independent study of a publicly-owned versus privately-owned utilities, comparing use and cost of renewable energy with smart grid distribution; data from this Study to be available to the public and their government officials; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and City Council of the City and County of Honolulu, to Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and to the heads of the county and state regulatory bodies.

Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai‘i has a long tradition for supporting injured workers’ in the State of Hawai‘i; and

Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai‘i has continued to fight for injured workers' rights and protection; and

Whereas, The Democratic Party of Hawai‘i has always advocated that insurance companies and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations continue to improve rules, policies and laws concerning Workers' Compensation for the betterment of all of Hawai‘i's injured workers; and

Whereas, Independent Medical Examinations (IME) in Workers' Compensation has become so contentious that insurance companies continue to attack any change to make this policies fair for the injured workers' and insurance companies; and

Whereas, Workers' compensation IMEs are supposed to be fair, impartial, and truly independent;

Whereas, Doctor's have been imported from the mainland to conduct IMEs, and some local Doctors have closed their practices to do IMEs; and

Whereas, At least one doctor has made over a million dollars doing IMEs in one year; and

Whereas, Many doctors who conduct IMEs are not specialist in the field they are performing the examination, and these Doctors cannot be sued for giving a wrong diagnosis; and

Whereas, Injured workers continue to wait for treatment as insurance companies put money ahead of treatment and rehabilitation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats rescind OC Resolution 2010-5 and urge the State Democratic Party of Hawai‘i to rescind Resolution BUS 2010-11, and replace it with the following: be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats support legislation to require the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations of State of Hawai‘i to protect injured workers from the abuses of Independent Medical Examinations and Examiners who are paid by and accountable only to employers and their insurance carriers in the State of Hawai‘i; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to all Democratic members of the Legislature, the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, and the Hawai‘i State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Hawai‘i has long been a state which has celebrated diversity; and

Whereas, Until 1982 Hawai‘i's legislature and people were represented by multimember districts, and: such representation proved an additional tool, providing flexibility during redistricting, balancing population against boundary constraints for accurate reapportionment; and

Whereas, A multimember district provided more access to new candidates, with a wide variety of fresh and innovative viewpoints; and

Whereas, Multi-member districts provide opportunity for constructive party teamwork, combining the experience of the incumbent with the new members fresh viewpoint on the variety of views on issues within a single district, limiting the "winner takes all" effect; and

Whereas, A single member district is seen as providing a dominant advantage to the incumbent, creating an adverse impact on fundraising and other challenges facing a new candidate; and

Whereas, This further empowers the voter by increasing the power of the voter; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i discuss and consider supporting a return to multimember district representation; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Counties of Kaua‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i, and to the State Central Committee for discussion, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, An informed citizenry is the foundation of democracy, and new technologies in information services have made that need more critical; and

Whereas, Since as a part of the contribution of the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin created the first public library, public libraries which are open to all people, regardless of age, gender, race, social condition, and religion, have since that time been a major component for informing the public in all aspects of the information spectrum; and

Whereas, The Hawai‘i State library system is mandated to supply the people of Hawaii with access to informational, educational, recreational, and cultural materials; and

Whereas, The Hawai‘i library system has been heavily impacted by both increased population in underserved areas and the increasingly heavy expenses of updating and supporting current informational technologies; and

Whereas, Continual budgetary constraints over many years, have resulted in a 20% vacancy rate in staffing and the closure of libraries, both permanently and for long periods; and

Whereas, Adequate resources to correct this situation and to supply the people of Hawai‘i with the library and information services necessary to maintain the basic standards of service to which they are entitled, are not available under the present system of funding; and

Whereas, This creates an inequity of service to the people of the state; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats rescind Resolution 2010-06, and replace it with the following: be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i request that the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i create a task force composed of public and private, philanthropic, commercial, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations, as needed, with representatives from both geographic and cultural communities to explore what library services are needed in the way of facilities, staffing, materials, and technologies, under served communities will require, and what resources can be developed to meet these needs; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i and the appropriate state pre convention resolution committees.

Whereas, There has been a longstanding tradition in the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i that the State Party Chair and of each County Chairs shall remain neutral in primary election races where there has been more than one Democratic running in the primary race; and

Whereas, The Governor has been described as the titular head of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; and

Whereas, The Congressional delegation is held in high regard and there are biennial rumors of members of the Congressional delegation preferring one candidate over another in local races; and

Whereas, There has been evidence on increasing violation of this longstanding tradition; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democratic Party ask each Democratic Party County Chair and the State Chair of the Democratic Party to remain neutral in all contested primary election races, and not provide active support to any candidate in any contested primary race; this shall include but not be limited to, soliciting or making monetary or in-kind contributions, accepting a position in a primary campaign, sign-waving, letter writing, appearing in campaign ads, etc.; and be it further

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democratic Party ask a Democratic Governor to remain neutral in all contested primary election races, and not provide active support to any candidate in any contested primary race; this shall include but not be limited to, soliciting or making monetary or in kind contributions, accepting a position in a campaign, sign-waving, letter writing, appearing in campaign ads, etc.; and be it further

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democratic Party ask the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to remain neutral in all contested primary election races, and not provide active support to any candidate in any contested primary race; this shall include but not be limited to, making monetary or in kind contributions, soliciting money or in kind contributions, accepting a position in a campaign, sign-waving, letter writing, appearing in campaign ads, etc.; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Hawai‘i Democratic Party, the Governor, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the members of the Hawai‘i Senate and Hawai‘i House of Representatives, and candidates for every elective office whose jurisdiction includes the City and County of Honolulu, and the appropriate state pre convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Exercising the right to vote is crucial to membership in a democratic society and many people with disabilities do not register and vote; and

Whereas, People with disabilities constitute at least 20% of the population over 18 and are a significant portion of Hawai‘i's population; and

Whereas, The disability community is diverse consisting of people with sensory, physical and cognitive challenges; and

Whereas, Many of these individuals, especially those in institutions or group homes, do not exercise their right to vote in both the primary and general election; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats make a concerted effort to register voters with disabilities throughout the state; and be further

Resolved, That voter registration forms be available in alternate formats such as large type and Braille; and be it further

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats make concerted efforts to assist people with disabilities with transportation to a polling place; and be it further

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats insist the Office of Elections make certain that alternate formats for ballots be available at all polling places, including large type, Braille, and private screen readers for Blind individuals; and be it further

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats encourage absentee balloting be also available in these formats postage paid to be available with regular absentee ballots; and be it further

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats collect data on how many individuals with disabilities were assisted by the Party by which method and produce organized data for researchers to utilize; and be it further

Resolved, That research conclusions based on this data be included in a monograph, which will serve the Party in future elections and serve as a model for disability outreach in primary and general elections; and may it be further

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the members of the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation, and the appropriate State pre-convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Beginning in the early 1980s, according to the Census, the college "premium" - the difference in annual earnings of a high school graduate and a college graduate - rose from 50 percent to approximately 80 percent. In 2007, workers with a high school degree made an average of $31,286 compared to $57,181, 82.8 percent more, for those with a bachelor’s degree; and

Whereas; According to Sean Reardon, a professor of education and sociology at Stanford, writing in "The Widening Academic Achievement Gap between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations:" At the same time that family income has become more predictive of children's academic achievement, so have educational attainment and cognitive skills become more predictive of adults' earnings. The combination of these trends creates a feedback mechanism that may decrease intergenerational mobility. As the children of the rich do better in school, and those who do better in school are more likely to become rich, we risk producing an even more unequal and economically polarized society; and

Whereas; As the value of a college degree has nearly doubled, in terms of future earnings, the percentage of low income college students actually graduating by age 24 has grown by only 2.1 points, from 6.2 percent in 1970 to 8.3 percent in 2009. Among students from families in the highest income quartile, the graduation rate by age 24 has surged by 42.2 percentage points, doubling from 40.2 percent to 82.4 percent over the last four decades; and

Whereas; the value of Pell Grants - the basic form of federal scholarship aid to poor students - has steadily declined as tuition costs have grown at a much faster rate than inflation. In 1979-80, the maximum Pell Grant covered 99 percent of the cost of a community college, 77 percent at a public four-year college and 36 percent at a private four-year college. By 2010-11, these percentages had dropped to 62, 36 and 15 percent respectively, according to "Education Week"; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Democrats urge Congress in general and our congressional representatives in particular to support an increase in Pell grants to cover at least three quarters of the cost of a four year college education, and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the members of the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation, and the appropriate State pre-convention resolutions committee.

*Much of the information and even wording of the above comes from the New York Times, March 12, 2012, "The Reproduction of Privilege" By Thomas B. Edsall

Whereas, The Citizens United decision has opened the floodgates to the corrupting influence of money in elections; and

Whereas, Corporations are entities created by law, not individual citizens entitled to rights; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats stand with the Move To Amend campaign and communities across the country to defend democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate power by amending the United States Constitution to establish that 1) only human beings, not corporations are endowed with constitutional rights, and 2) Money is not speech and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the members of the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation, and the appropriate State pre-convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Many workers on unemployment insurance can't afford medical insurance; and

Whereas, Medical insurance such as COBRA is very high-cost and sometimes unaffordable; and

Whereas, Low and Middle class workers need protection for medical needs during hard times when unemployed; now therefore be it

Resolved, That O‘ahu County Democrats support legislation to include health care in unemployment insurance; and finally be it

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the members of the Hawai‘i Congressional delegation, and the appropriate State pre-convention resolutions committee.

Whereas, Childhood obesity rates in Hawai‘i have increased by 38 percent from 1999 and 2009, and 1/3 of Hawai‘i preschoolers classified overweight or obese; and

Whereas, Children and adolescents now consume 10 to 13 percent of their daily caloric intake from sugar-sweetened beverages and these are calories that otherwise meet no nutritional need; and

Whereas, Obese children are on the fast track for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and other chronic diseases; and

Whereas, Obesity-related medical expenditures in Hawai‘i were calculated to be over $323M in 2009; and

Whereas, Sugar-sweetened beverages account for almost half the total added-sugar intake in the U.S. population and displace healthier and more nutrient-dense beverages like milk, 100% fruit juice and water; and

Whereas, Refined sugars are one of several important factors that promote tooth decay (dental caries), and a recent study found that young children who drank carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages had almost double the risk of dental caries; and

Whereas, The Division of Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity (DNPAO) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends decreasing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages as one of six evidence-based strategies for preventing and reducing overweight and obesity; and

Whereas, The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans also recommends reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages as a method to control calorie intake and managing body weight; and

Whereas, Economic incentives are among the most effective tools to change food purchasing behavior; and

Whereas, Current funding for children’s health and early learning has been drastically reduced; and

Whereas, It is vitally important that Hawai‘i identify a dedicated funding stream to support the health and well-being of Hawaii’s keiki; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the O‘ahu County Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i recommend to the Executive and Legislative branches of Government to commit to investing in the health and well-being of our keiki especially children under the age of eight; and be it further

Resolved, That the Governor and the members of the Hawai‘i State Senate and House of Representatives develop progressive and innovative legislation such as a sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) tax to limit the intake of sugar sweetened beverages and support the expansion of healthier nutritional drink options; and be it further

Resolved, That revenues from SSB tax be directed to fund early childhood obesity and dental caries prevention programs, and early childhood health promotion, development and learning programs; and be it finally

Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor and all Democratic members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature.