Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Hawaii has some of the least-affordable housing in the country. Many of my constituents have more than one job just to make enough to put food on the table and pay their bills. Others have lost jobs due to the bad economy and the downturn in tourism.

Families are struggling to stay in their homes. In Hawaii, foreclosures are up 500 percent from a year ago, and one in 29 homes with high-cost loans are likely to go into foreclosure.

Forestalling foreclosure is often an exercise in frustration for homeowners. Some people in Hawaii are 2 or 3 months behind in their mortgages and are spending hours trying to reach out-of-state lenders in a different time zone to get their loans modified. To make matters worse, lenders tell them that their paperwork is lost and slap them with fees and penalties.

We recently passed H.R. 1106 to help families like these restructure or refinance their mortgages. We also need to pass H.R. 1728 to support counseling efforts, provide foreclosure prevention assistance and strengthen loan standards.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 627, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act.

Last year, I was an original cosponsor of a similar bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the House by a bipartisan 312 to 112 majority (including 84 Republicans). I was disappointed that this legislation languished in the Senate.

Since last year's action in the House, many American families and businesses have been particularly hard hit by the economic crisis, including those who rely upon credit lines, who, through no fault of their own, have been subjected to predatory lending or abusive credit card practices that make it difficult for them to end the cycle of costly debt. Hundreds of constituents in my district have contacted me to express support for this critical legislation.

In 2008, credit card issuers imposed $19 billion in penalty fees on families with credit cards, and this year card companies will break all records for late fees, over-limit charges, and other penalties, amounting to more than $20.5 billion for the industry. Credit card debt in the United States has reached a record high--nearly $1 trillion-- with almost half of American families carrying a balance averaging $7,300 in 2007. One-fifth of those carrying credit card debt pay an interest rate above 20 percent.

H.R. 627 prohibits credit card issuers from raising rates retroactively on existing balances. The bill also requires a 45-day notice of any rate increase and prohibits companies from charging interest on balances from more than one billing cycle.

Members of the House have collaborated with President Obama to strengthen the bill by mandating that card issuers apply payments beyond the minimum to debts with the highest interest rate, requiring card companies to inform customers about the long-term costs of paying only the minimum balance, and allowing consumers to opt whether or not they want to go over their credit limit and be charged a fee for doing so.

This legislation codifies Federal Reserve rules prohibiting unfair or deceptive bank practices related to credit card accounts and overdraft services and goes further by banning the marketing and issuance of credit cards to minors under the age of 18, banning credit card companies from imposing unfair and arbitrary fees when customers pay their bills, and allowing customers to set a lower credit card limit.

The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights will level the playing field between card issuers and cardholders.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, this Congress is committed to energy self- sufficiency as a matter of national security. Hawaii's situation is especially acute as Hawaii is the most oil dependent State in the country and has the highest fuel and electricity costs nationwide. Thus, Hawaii is particularly aware of the need to change the status quo and focus on achieving a clean energy economy.

Recently enacted legislation has given consumers and businesses in Hawaii and across the country incentives to invest in clean and renewable technologies, and more will be accomplished through the American Clean Energy and Security Act on which we are working.

Our actions result in real decisions by real businesses. For example, because we extended the solar tax credits, a solar panel company and a local business in Hawaii got together to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the business, which now generates 95 percent of its electricity from these panels.

Our work on the American Clean Energy and Security Act will help States like Hawaii reach our energy goals.

Madam speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to authorize a special resources study of the World War II-era Honouliuli Internment Camp site in the State of Hawaii.

Unlike much of the mainland United States, Japanese Americans in Hawaii were not subjected to the mass roundups experienced by Americans of Japanese ancestry who lived on the West Coast of the U.S. mainland. Executive Order 9066, which called for removal of Japanese Americans from restricted areas, was not enforced to the same degree in Hawaii. Forcing all of Hawaii's Japanese American population into camps was simply not practical as they made up some 40 percent of the population at the time.

Executive Order 9066 put Hawaii under martial law. Interestingly, even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI had a ``custodial detention list'' of 337 people in Hawaii marked for arrest if America went to war with Japan. On December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, the FBI and the Army ordered the internment of everyone on the ``custodial detention list.''

Most of these initial internees were ``consular agents,'' persons who worked on a volunteer basis to assist other Japanese in filling out reports of birth, marriage, and death to be sent back to the emigrants' original villages in Japan. Many of these volunteer ``consular agents'' were long-time residents of Hawaii but were not citizens because they were not born in Hawaii. At the time, Japanese immigrants were barred from becoming naturalized U.S. citizens on the basis of race. None of these ``consular agents'' were ever charged with espionage or sabotage. Shinto and Buddhists priests, language teachers, and community leaders were also rounded up and put in the camps.

Honouliuli Internment Camp was the largest and last-closed of the eight detention centers that operated in Hawaii. Honouliuli was also used as a prisoner of war camp. Each of the major islands had internment facilities for a period of time. Some 1,200 Japanese Americans and 100 Americans of Italian or German descent were interned in Hawaii between December 7, 1941, and September 14, 1945. Many were initially held in Hawaii and then transferred to internment camps on the U.S. mainland.

The story of the internments in Hawaii is not well known. Most people in Hawaii are not even aware of this history. Archeological reconnaissance surveys of the Honouliuli Camp

site have been conducted with the support of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Conservation Fund, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the University of Hawaii. The landowner, Monsanto, has also been supportive.

The Honouliuli site, which is located in a gulch in an agricultural area on the island of Oahu, still contains many remnants of the camp. The special resource study authorized by this bill will evaluate the Honouliuli site, as well as associated sites on Oahu and other islands, regarding its significance in the history of World War II; in relation to the forcible internment of Japanese Americans, Italian Americans, and German Americans; and for its physical historic resources.

One of the things I am most proud about America is our willingness to examine painful and often shameful periods of our past. The experience of Hawaii in relation to Executive Order 9066 has not really been told before. The proposed resource study will provide a map of how we might move forward in preserving and interpreting the historical record of this period.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic support of H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which includes my Kalaupapa Memorial Act (H.R. 3332 in the 110th Congress; H.R. 410 in the 111th Congress). The Kalaupapa Memorial Act authorizes establishment of a memorial at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, to honor the memory and sacrifices of the some 8,000 Hansen's disease patients who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula between 1866 and 1969.

Last August, I visited Kalaupapa and met with the mostly elderly former patients who reside there. Many expressed a strong desire to see the Memorial become a reality in their lifetimes. Unfortunately, that dream did not come true for two of the community's most beloved and distinguished residents:

Kuulei Bell, the president of Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, passed away in February 8, 2009 after a long illness. Despite her illness, she continued to champion establishment of the Memorial until shortly before her death.

Bernard Punikai'a, who fought all his life for equality and human rights for persons with Hansen's Disease throughout the world, passed away on February 25, 2009.

Today, I pay special tribute to Kuulei and Bernard in casting my vote for this bill. The policy of exiling persons with the disease that was then known as leprosy began under the Kingdom of Hawaii and continued under the governments of the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, and the State of Hawaii. Children, mothers, and fathers were forcibly separated and sent to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, which for most of its history could only be accessed by water or via a steep mule trail. Children born to parents at Kalaupapa were taken away from their mothers and sent to orphanages or to other family members outside of Kalaupapa. Hawaii's isolation laws for people with Hansen's disease were not repealed until 1969, even though medications to control the disease had been available since the late 1940s.

While most of us know about the sacrifices of Father Damien (his statue is one of two representing Hawaii in DC), who dedicated his life to care for those exiled to Kalaupapa fewer know of the courage and sacrifices of the patients who were torn from their families and left to make a life in this isolated area. It is important that their lives be remembered.

Of the some 8,000 former patients buried in Kalaupapa, only some 1,300 have marked graves. A memorial listing the names of those who were exiled to Kalaupapa and died there is a fitting tribute and is consistent with the primary purpose of the park, which is ``to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the education and inspiration of present and future generations.''

Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, a non-profit organization consisting of patient residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and their family members and friends, was established in August 2003 to promote the value and dignity of the more than 8,000 persons some 90

percent of whom were Native Hawaiian--who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula. A central goal of Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa is to make certain that the lives of these individuals are honored and remembered through the establishment of a memorial or memorials within the boundaries of the park at Kalawao or Kalaupapa.

Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa has made a commitment to raise the funds needed to design and build the memorial and will work with the National Park Service on design and location of the memorial.

The residents of Kalaupapa and the families of those who have passed want to make sure not only that the story of Kalaupapa is told but that the patients are recognized as individuals by having the names of each of those exiled to Kalaupapa and buried there recorded for posterity. Families that have visited Kalaupapa and Kalawao searching in vain for the graves of their family members will find comfort in seeing those names recorded on a memorial.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act. I commend my House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar for introducing this vital legislation that makes much-needed investments to improve water quality and better ensure safe, clean water for communities throughout the country.

The central focus of the bill is reauthorization of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low-interest loans and grants to local communities for construction of wastewater treatment facilities and other water pollution abatement projects. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund was last reauthorized in 1987, although the program has been funded every year, albeit at inadequate levels. For years, the amount of available funding has been far below the demand for funds from local governments.

Much of the clean water infrastructure in our nation is rapidly approaching or has already exceeded its projected life. This aging infrastructure must be repaired or replaced soon. The gap between wastewater infrastructure needs and current levels of spending has been estimated at between $3.2 billion to $11.1 billion a year.

If the authorized levels of funding provided in this bill are appropriated, Hawaii will see a four-fold increase in the annual level of funding received under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund--from $5.3 million in FY2009 to an estimated $21 million each year from FY2010 to FY2014. In addition to improving our infrastructure, this amount of funding could create or sustain some 700 jobs a year in Hawaii.

This funding is critically needed in our state. Just this week, I met with members of the four county councils in my district. All have concerns about the condition of wastewater infrastructure in their districts and the inability of local governments to fund the level of investment that is urgently needed. Lack of this funding is having serious environmental consequences and, in some areas, is actually preventing development of much-needed housing.

I urge my colleague to support this bill, which will stimulate employment and all of our local economies while protecting the environment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce with Congressman Abercrombie a bill that would convert the fourth temporary judgeship for the District of Hawaii to permanent judgeship status.

The fourth temporary judgeship for the District of Hawaii was created in 1990 by Public Law 101-650. Although the judges appointed to temporary judgeships have lifetime appointments, legislation creating temporary judgeships usually specifies that the first vacancy in

the district cannot be filled after a certain date. In the 1990 bill, this time frame was determined to be ten years after each temporary judgeship was filled. That meant that Hawaii could not fill a temporary vacancy occurring after October 2004.

Currently, the District of Hawaii has four active judges. However, if any of these judges become inactive, by taking senior status or otherwise, the district will not be able to replace that judge because of the ten-year limitation, which has long passed. This would place a great burden on not only the three remaining active judges, but also on the litigants themselves, especially civil litigants. Due to the right to speedy trial, felony cases regularly bump civil trials off the calendar, leading to long delays to get to court for civil litigants. Civil cases include disputes involving personal injury, civil rights, the environment, business, and other non-criminal matters.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has previously recommended that Hawaii's fourth temporary judgeship be converted to permanent status. The conversion was included in the 2007 Judicial Conference Judgeship Biennial Recommendation.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on this and other initiatives that will address our need for additional federal judgeships across the country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Peace Corps Week (February 23-March 2) and recognize the 48 years of commitment to peace made by our nation's Peace Corps volunteers.

Following a call to service by President John F. Kennedy, more than 195,000 Americans have served our country in the cause of peace by living and working in 139 developing nations.

Currently, 7,876 Peace Corp volunteers are making significant and lasting contributions to improve the lives of individuals and communities in 76 countries. This selfless group includes the following volunteers from Hawaii: Claire Albrecht in Zambia; Kristel Balbarino and Holly Horcajo in Nicaragua; Jack Chow and Noa Thomas in Vanuatu, Theresa Duddy in Madagascar; Rachel Grossman in Ukraine; Ashley Jones in Micronesia; Kevin Kalhoefer in Cambodia; Serette Kaminski in Niger; Nicole Nakama in Botswana; Kevin Schmitz in Dominican Republic; Mai Shintani in Gambia; and Theodore Varns in Guatemala.

I also want to recognize and thank the many Peace Corps alumni who reside in Hawaii. I have many friends who are former Peace Corps members. To a person, each has told me that their time of service had a major impact on their lives.

Aloha and mahalo to all Peace Crops volunteers past and present for your work in strengthening the ties of friendship and understanding between the people of the United States and others around the world.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 80, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 77, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Shingles Prevention Act. I would like to thank Neil Abercrombie, Tammy Baldwin, Donna Edwards, Barney Frank, Al Green, Raul Grijalva, Maurice Hinchey, Jim McDermott, Jan Schakowsky, Louise Slaughter, and Gene Taylor for joining me as original cosponsors of this bill.

Many of us have had shingles or know of others, especially over the age of 60, who have. In 2006 a new vaccine was created that prevents occurrence of shingles or dramatically reduces the symptoms and pain of shingles. Experts agree that adults over the age of 60 should receive this immunization.

Half of us will experience shingles by the time we are 80. Shingles is a painful skin rash often accompanied by fever, headache, chills, and upset stomach. What is more pressing is that one in five shingles patients will endure post-herpetic neuralgia--severe pain lasting much longer than the rash itself. The pain can be so intolerable that patients are housebound, and there have been cases of suicide from the disease. Shingles is most common among seniors because the immune system wanes with age, making Medicare beneficiaries the best candidates for the vaccine.

Since its development in 2006, the shingles vaccine has been recommended for adults 60 years or older by the Centers for Disease Control. However, current Medicare Part D coverage of the vaccine is insufficient. Not all beneficiaries are enrolled in Part D or another drug prescription plan. More important, seniors are facing high out-of- pocket costs due to a lack of coordination among doctors, pharmacies, and Part D plans. For example, there is no established direct billing method between doctors and plans for Part D vaccines. Because of this, beneficiaries typically must pay the full price up front, which results in out-of-pocket costs that limit access to those that need the vaccine the most--our seniors.

The billing problem, the resulting low utilization of the vaccine, and costly storage requirements are enough to keep many doctors from stocking the vaccine. When doctors do not stock, beneficiaries' only alternative is to obtain the vaccine from pharmacists. But many states do not allow pharmacies to administer Part D vaccines, so the beneficiary has to take the vial from the pharmacy back to the physician's office. Thus, a senior who is thinking about getting vaccinated would have to go first to the doctor's office for a consult, then to the pharmacist, then back to the doctor for the shot.

Not surprisingly, many seniors are not getting immunized against shingles. This low utilization rate contributes to the half a billion dollars of treatment costs per year and, for hundreds of thousands of seniors, many weeks spent suffering from a disease that could have been prevented.

The Shingles Prevention Act will move shingles vaccine coverage to Part B--thus treating it in the same manner as the flu vaccine under Medicare, simplifying the process for physicians and beneficiaries, and lessening the cost burden for our seniors. This is a common sense and cost effective way to increase access to high quality health care for our seniors, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act. Our nation must show true compassion for the most vulnerable among us, and CHIP helps millions of low-income children receive healthcare.

The last time we had a floor debate on H.R. 2, there were references made by those in opposition to the bill to a program in my state called Keiki Care. It was suggested by those individuals that the Keiki Care program was cancelled due to perceived crowd-out, where parents drop their children's private insurance in order to enroll into a free government program.

That claim was entirely false, and I join Congressman Abercrombie in correcting the misstatements made by the opposition. The Keiki Care program did not have an issue with crowd-out. It was intentionally designed so that those who wish to enroll in the program must be continuously uninsured for six months. There was also no spike in program enrollment that even suggests that parents were indeed dropping their private insurance to join. I would like to insert into the Record a fact sheet on Keiki Care published by the group Hawaii Covering Kids.

In Hawaiian, ``keiki'' means ``child'' or taken literally ``little one.'' H.R. 2 is a bill that provides for the health and well-being of the keiki most in need of our help. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of H.R. 2 today.

Keiki Care

Goal

All children and youths living in Hawai`i are enrolled in

health insurance.

Children's Health

Compelling national health care statistics drive Hawai`i

Covering Kids' goal:

Children who are uninsured are twice as likely not to

receive any medical care;

Only 45% of uninsured children had one or more well-child

visits in the past year compared with more than 70% of

insured children;

More than one in three uninsured children do not have a

personal physician; and

Uninsured children are less likely to receive proper

medical care for common childhood illnesses such as sore

throats, earaches, and asthma.

Background Information

Approximately five percent of Hawai`i's children and youths

are uninsured statewide which means over 16,000 kids do not

have health insurance. Hawai`i Covering Kids sponsored

meetings in October 2006 and January 2007 to determine the

``gap groups'' and possible solutions. We concluded these

children and youths are most likely uninsured:

Eligible for QUEST or Medicaid Fee-for-Service in

households between 251-300% FPL but parents cannot afford

monthly premium payments;

In families with incomes above 300% FPL and parents cannot

afford private health insurance;

Have temporary visas (V, H, K, etc.);

Undocumented immigrants; and

Student dependents (F2 visa) whose parents cannot afford

university health insurance plans.

2007 Initiative

The Hawai`i State Legislature introduced HB1008, now Act

236, to help uninsured children and youths in the gap groups.

It included paying QUEST and Medicaid Fee-for-Service monthly

premiums for children between 251-300% FPL and establishing a

free Keiki Care plan for children ages 31 days to 19 years

old who are ineligible for public health insurance. The Keiki

Care plan is modeled after the low-cost HMSA Children's Plan

with limited benefits and some out-of-pocket expenses. It

requires the child live in Hawai`i and be continuously

uninsured for six months. Exceptions to the six-month

uninsured provision include: (1) children who ``income

out'' of QUEST or Medicaid Fee-for-Service, (2) children

enrolled in a managed care children's plan on the

effective date (one-time only exemption), (3) newborns

uninsured since birth, and (4) children in families

affected by Aloha Airline's bankruptcy.

Timeline

3 May 2007--HB1008 HD2 SD2 CD1 Passed by the Legislature;

30 June 2007--Signed by the Governor as Act 236;

1 March 2008--Enrollment Commenced;

1 April 2008--Keiki Care Effective Date.

Enrollment

1 April 2008--1,827;

1 November 2008--2,021.

Crowd-Out

Hawai`i has never experienced problems with parents

dropping their children's private health insurance to enroll

them in public-financed programs. Keiki Care specifically

discourages this tactic (called ``crowd-out'') through an

eligibility requirement that each child must be uninsured

continuously for six months, limited benefit package, and

some out-of-pocket expenses. The

fact enrollment in November 2008 isn't significantly greater

than when Keiki Care began illustrates crowd-out prevention

is working.

Outreach

Hawai`i Covering Kids has conducted intensive outreach

through broadcast emails to state and community partners,

mailouts to statewide outreach workers, web site information,

211 hotline referrals, and natural points of contact

including community health centers, hospitals, public health

nurses, Head Start, WIC, and schools.

Economic Impact

The modest investment in Keiki Care pays off in several

significant ways. It supports healthier children, confident

parents, and reliable payments to health care providers while

preserving precious charity care and limited uninsured funds

for those who are uninsurable. Keiki Care empowers parents by

connecting their children to a pediatrician and regular

preventive health care. Should a sudden illness or injury

occur, the children are also insured for emergency care which

averts personal and institutional financial crises. In fact,

as the number of insured kids has increased in Hawai`i,

hospital emergency department data for 2000-2006 show that

visits by uninsured children and youths have declined from

5.25% to 3.79%.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 384, the Troubled Assets Relief Program, TARP, Reform and Accountability Act.

Since this capital purchase program, TARP, was implemented, billions of dollars in taxpayer money have been disbursed to institutions with little to no accountability or oversight over these funds. A congressional oversight panel for TARP funding recently concluded that the Treasury Department essentially does not know how TARP fund recipients are utilizing these funds, and a report released last month by the U.S. Government Accountability Office urged TARP administrators to improve the program's internal controls to better monitor how the funds are being spent.

H.R. 384 amends the TARP provisions of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to strengthen accountability, close loopholes, and increase transparency of the administration of this program. This bill requires any existing or future institution that receives TARP funding to provide quarterly public reporting on its use of the funding and stipulates that the Treasury Department administer a public database that includes the reporting, data collection, and analysis of use of TARP funds.

Last week the House voted unanimously to require our committees to hold periodic hearings on waste, fraud, and abuse in Government programs. As a cosponsor of this bill, H. Res. 40, I believe that Congress has an obligation to restore accountability and oversight

to government. H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act, is also critical to restoring the American people's faith in our Government and takes us one step closer to getting our country back on track.

Importantly, H.R. 384 requires that a certain amount of TARP funding be committed to foreclosure mitigation and stipulates that the Treasury Secretary develop a comprehensive plan to prevent and mitigate foreclosures on residential mortgages. This legislation also establishes a program to stimulate demand for home purchases and clear inventory of properties so that qualified home buyers can purchase homes at affordable mortgage rates. We cannot move quickly enough to provide assistance to homeowners across the country.

I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 384.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009.

I believe our Nation must show true compassion for the most vulnerable among us, and CHIP is a program that helps millions of low- income American children to receive health care so they can grow up in good health.

Since its creation in 1997, CHIP has been successful in providing vital health care coverage for children in families who cannot afford private insurance yet earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. There are now 6.6 million children enrolled in the program, which includes 20,000 keiki (children) from my home State of Hawaii.

Regrettably twice in 110th Congress, President George W. Bush vetoed bipartisan bills that would have reauthorized and improved CHIP in order to provide secure health coverage for millions of uninsured children in working families. These vetoes were made despite the fact that the bills had passed in both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan majorities. As a result of these vetoes, Congress was only able to provide a short-term extension of CHIP, through March of 2009, but was not able to enact program improvements to help States reach additional uninsured children.

The bill before us today is based on the two previously vetoed bipartisan bills. It also offers the 111th Congress the opportunity to right the wrongs of the out-going administration. President-elect Obama has previously expressed strong support for CHIP because it provides a much-needed down-payment on children's health. By extending health coverage to millions more children, this legislation is an important first step in stemming the rising tide of the uninsured.

I urge my colleagues to join me and vote in support of this bill and of the health and well-being of children most in need of our help.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to authorize establishment of a memorial at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, to honor the memory and sacrifices of the some 8,000 Hansen's disease patients who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula between 1866 and 1969. I want to thank my friend and colleague Congressman Neil Abercrombie for cosponsoring this legislation.

I had hoped to see this bill become law last year. The 110th Congress version of the bill (H.R. 3332) passed the House in February 2008. It was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in June 2008. Unfortunately, despite heroic efforts by Senators Akaka, Inouye, and Bingaman, the bill did not come before the full Senate for a vote.

The policy of exiling persons with the disease that was then known as leprosy began under the Kingdom of Hawaii and continued under the governments of the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, and the State of Hawaii. Children, mothers, and fathers were forcibly separated and sent to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, which for most of its history could only be accessed by water or via a steep mule trail. Children born to parents at Kalaupapa were taken away from their mothers and sent to orphanages or to other family members outside of Kalaupapa. Hawaii's isolation laws for people with Hansen's disease were not repealed until 1969, even though medications to control the disease had been available since the late 1940s.

While most of us know about the sacrifices of Father Damien, who dedicated his life to care for those exiled to Kalaupapa, fewer know of the courage and sacrifices of the patients who were torn from their families and left to make a life in this isolated area. It is important that their lives be remembered.

Of the some 8,000 former patients buried in Kalaupapa, only some 1,300 have marked graves. A memorial listing the names of those who were exiled to Kalaupapa and died there is a fitting tribute and is consistent with the primary purpose of the park, which is ``to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the education and inspiration of present and future generations.''

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, a non-profit organization consisting of patient residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and their family members and friends, was established in August 2003 to promote the value and dignity of the more than 8,000 persons--some 90 percent of whom were native Hawaiian--who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa peninsula. A central goal of Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa is to make certain that the lives of these individuals are honored and remembered through the establishment of a memorial or memorials within the boundaries of the park at Kalawao or Kalaupapa.

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa has made a commitment to raise the funds needed to design and build the memorial and will work with the National Park Service on design and location of the memorial.

I have met with the elderly residents of Kalaupapa; many have expressed a strong desire to know that the memorial will be built before they die. I also read the heartfelt and compelling testimony submitted by current patients and family members of former patients who want to make sure not only that the story of Kalaupapa is told but that the patients are recognized as individuals by having the names of each of those exiled to Kalaupapa and buried there recorded for posterity. Families that have visited Kalaupapa and Kalawao searching in vain for the graves of their family members will find comfort in seeing those names recorded on a memorial.

The National Park Service is supportive of this legislation. I am hopeful that the Senate will soon pass an omnibus bill including the text of this legislation and other public lands bills.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.