| Aloha and Happy New Year!
The old cliché “time flies when you’re having
fun” surely applies to me. I've very much appreciated
the opportunity to serve as your State Senator for the past
year and look forward to working with you in the years ahead.
Here are a few things I'd like to share with you:
New Committee Assignments
I'm pleased to announce my appointment to serve as Vice Chair
of the Senate’s Transportation and International Affairs
Committee (TIA). Being Vice Chair of TIA is a perfect fit for
the people of District 19. I plan to use this leadership position
in my continuing efforts to reduce our traffic congestion problems.
I’m also looking forward to my new committee assignment
on the Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. Additionally,
I’ll continue serving on the Education and Judiciary &
Labor committees.
Addressing Uninsured Driver Problem
I was speaking with a Waikele resident who mentioned his concern
of how uninsured drivers are putting other law-abiding citizens
in jeopardy. We researched and found out that the Insurance
Research Council reports that Hawaii has the 22nd highest percentage
of uninsured drivers in the nation with 13 percent driving without
insurance. As you may know, the law currently allows an uninsured
motorist to recover non-economic (pain and suffering) damages
from an insured driver if they happen to be injured in an accident.
However, at the same time, an insured driver would not likely
be able to recover any damages from an uninsured driver. To
address this problem, I plan to introduce legislation to prohibit
uninsured motorists from recovering non-economic damages from
insured drivers.
Waikele Elementary Read Aloud
I had a great time participating in Waikele Elementary's Read
Aloud event on November 14th. In this age of video games, My
Space, and HDTV, it's important that we do all we can to encourage
the love of reading among our young people. It's clear to me
that Principal Carm Minami, Librarian Lori Miyagi, and all the
teachers and staff are doing a great job!
Please contact
me if I can help you.
Phone: 586-6830
email: sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov
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