State Rep. Kawakami to speak Saturday

KAPA‘A — Rep. Derek Kawakami, D-14th District, will speak at the Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association meeting, which will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kapa‘a Library. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Representing District 14, which includes east and north Kaua‘i, Kawakami recently served as the vice chair of the Energy and Environmental Protection Committee.

He was also a member of the Finance Committee, the Housing Committee, and the Water, Land, and Ocean Resources Committee.

He will share his perspective on the challenges and rewards of working at the Legislature, according to a news release, and he will review some of his accomplishments such as the as passage of the Safe Routes to School Bill.

He will also present highlights from the Symposium for Emerging Leaders hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures, which he attended in September.

With the 2013 Legislative Session opening Jan. 16, the W-KNA meeting offers an opportunity to learn about bills Kawakami may introduce and more about what issues are his highest concerns.

Attendees will also hear updates on the controversial Public Lands Development Corporation and what themes are emerging as state legislative priorities for 2013.

Rayne Regush, W-KNA board chair, said in an email that W-KNA members want to know about reintroducing certain bills that didn’t pass during the last session, including the bill for a pesticide use reporting system and a bill for GMO labeling of foods products.

“Seeking legislative support for funding to hire additional state agricultural inspectors to address invasive species and to increase staffing in the enforcement division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources were also of importance,” Regush says, and encourages attendees to bring their questions.

For more information on this event visit www.wkna.org or call Sid Jackson at 821-2837.