Government Reform

My return to Congress in 2019 was largely prompted by my membership in Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus, a nonpartisan group of more than 200 former Members of Congress, governors, ambassadors and cabinet members. Our Caucus recognized that, with public trust and confidence in government at a then- alltime low, we had to fix democracy first and return government to the people. These remain my overarching goals.

Legislative Action

One of the first bills I cosponsored in the 116th Congress (2019-2021), 117th Congress (2021-2023) and the 118th Congress (2023-2025) was the For the People Act (renamed the Freedom to Vote Act in the 118th). This truly revolutionary bill would implement many of the most critical government reform efforts, such as fighting voter suppression, simplifying voting, promoting election security, curbing special interest and dark money in politics, incentivizing smaller and broader donations, increasing transparency and fortifying ethics laws. This bill also includes an amendment I introduced that would direct the Election Assistance Commission to report to Congress on specific recommendations to direct states to better administer vote-by-mail elections.

The Freedom to Vote Act has not yet been reintroduced in the current 119th Congress (2025-2027). However, I have cosponsored several bills this Congress to solidify voting rights, including:

H.R. 4908, the Time Off to Vote Act, which would mandate that all workers receive protected time off in order to vote.
H.R. 4909, the Voters on the Move Registration Act, which will require federal housing agencies, as well as residential and multi-family mortgage loan providers, to provide information to new renters and homeowners about how to register to vote.
H.R. 4915, the Election Mail Act, which would improve the delivery and processing of election mail by setting minimum standards and improving U.S. Postal Service processes.
H.R. 4917, the Expanding the Voluntary Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act, which would give jurisdictions the resources to provide more translations of election materials and ensure everyone, regardless of their level of English language proficiency, can equitably participate in our democracy.

I will continue working with my colleagues to advance these and other measures to ensure that no one, regardless of who they are, what they look like or where they live, faces discrimination or other obstacles upon exercising their right to vote.

I have also cosponsored several other bills that seek to protect our elections from foreign actors and dark money. My cosponsorships in the 119th Congress include:

H.J.Res. 121, the Democracy for All Amendment, which would amend the Constitution to confirm that states and Congress have the right to regulate and impose reasonable limitations on campaign finance. This would address the disastrous effects of the Citizens United decision.
H.R. 535, the Inaugural Fund Integrity Act, which would limit donations to inaugural committees and require committees to disclose donations and disbursements.
H.R. 4461, the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act, which would establish limits on who can donate to Presidential Library funds, how much they can donate and ban Presidents from fundraising for the library while still in office unless the funds are from non-profit entities.

Bipartisanship

At the end of the day, we must move beyond the politics of 100% that leads too many to support or oppose everything one party proposes or opposes. For my part, my obligations flow to all those I represent in Hawai‘i of whatever or no party, and to our country and not to any one person, party or group. There is a place for partisan debate and disagreement on policy grounds and I vote those on their merits. However, we must not allow every issue to descend into a strictly partisan struggle, and my first effort is to consider if there is a way to reach agreement among the various viewpoints.

The majority of bills that have passed the House since I returned to Congress are bipartisan and deal with a wide range of difficult issues like gun control, trade agreements, drug costs and labor laws. Most of the bills I have cosponsored have bipartisan support, and many of my caucuses, such as the Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus that I co-founded, have Republican co-chairs and members.

I am also a Vice Chair and on the eight-member Executive Council of the Problem Solvers Caucus, an official caucus of the House consisting of 49 House Members both Democrats and Republicans. The Caucus was first formed in 2017 to create a durable bloc that champions ideas that appeal to a broad spectrum of the American people. Today it is a group united in the idea that there are commonsense solutions to many of the country’s toughest challenges.

The majority of bills that have passed the House since I returned to Congress are bipartisan and deal with a wide range of difficult issues like gun control, trade agreements, drug costs and labor laws. Most of the bills I have cosponsored have bipartisan support, and many of my caucuses, such as the Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus that I co-founded, have Republican co-chairs and members.