NEWS RELEASE

MAUI COUNTY SENATE DELEGATION READY FOR NEW ROLES

Committee assignments cover Maui County needs.

HONOLULU – Maui's delegation to the Hawai'i State Senate—Senators Roz Baker (District 5 - South and West Maui, Kapalua, Ka'anapali, Lahaina, Ma'alaea, Kihei, Wailea, Makena), J. Kalani English (District 6 - Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe) and Shan Tsutsui (District 4 - Wailuku, Waihe'e, Kahului, Pa'ia, Lower Pa'ia)—believe their committee assignments for the 2009 legislative session will allow them to put a greater emphasis on Maui County's needs, and help the island prepare for the future.

"This is a team effort," said Senator English. "I think more than you'll find in other places, the three of us work together to meet the needs of our islands as a whole. Individually we are very strong advocates, but together we're much more than the sum of the parts."

Senator Baker also emphasizes the range of concerns the Maui delegation covers in their committee assignments. "Between us, we have influence in transportation, business, capital improvements, intergovernmental affairs, consumer protection, energy policy, environmental concerns, and the list goes on. These are primary concerns for Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i, both to maintain what we have now and to build a preferred future for our community."

Senator Tsutsui sees a better balance among the areas of influence represented by the Maui team's committee chairs. "Kalani has added intergovernmental affairs to his committee, to go along with transportation and international affairs. As our economic concerns shift, we're going to see a growing importance in maintaining a balance between different aspects of our government, to preserve balance. He's also vice-chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, and those are primary concerns for Maui. The interplay between transportation, energy policy and environmental concerns is very powerful.

"Roz taking over Consumer Protection, which also influences business, energy and the economy, is great for Maui," Tsutsui continues. "When we look at what has happened at the federal level, we see what can happen when government does not look out for the interests of consumers. With Roz as chair, I'm confident Hawai'i consumers will have a strong advocate. At the same time, she will make sure that we strengthen industry in a way that serves our community's needs."

For Baker, her chairing the Consumer Protection Committee presents a number of opportunities for Maui. "Maui is all about balance," she said. "From resorts to small businesses, we have a tremendous range of needs and desires. Whether we are looking at energy costs, job creation, transportation needs, or preserving open space, we need to find a way to support business, job creation, and economic diversity, while also ensuring that the people who make Maui home maintain the quality of life that they value so much. That's a great challenge, and one I'm looking forward to both individually and with the help of the other members of our Maui delegation."

"Moving from the Ways and Means Committee to Consumer Protection is very exciting to me," Baker concludes. "With the economy slowing, chairing WAM would have meant making cuts. With Consumer Protection, I have a chance to create something, to help foster a growing economy. That's a great position to be in."

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