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 an all-time 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), and again in the 117th Congress (2021-2023), was H.R. 1, the For the People Act. For the 118th Congress (2023-2025) this bill was renamed and it is now H.R. 11, the Freedom to Vote Act. 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 conduct a study on the 2020 elections and compile a list of recommendations to help states better administer vote-by-mail elections.

The For the People Act passed the full House but was not able to advance in the Senate before the end of the 117th Congress, which concluded on January 3, 2023. You can view my full remarks on the bill here.

I believe Congress must strengthen voting rights in response to current efforts by state legislatures that make it harder—particularly for people of color, young adults and individuals with disabilities—to vote. That is why I have cosponsored several bills to increase access to the ballot box, including:

H.R. 1439, the Vote at Home Act of 2023, which would allow eligible voters to vote by mail and implement automatic voter registration through state departments of motor vehicles.
H.R. 14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023, which would update and strengthen components of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although it did not become law, I look forward to cosponsoring it again in the 118th Congress.

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 dozens of bills that would protect our elections from foreign actors and dark money. My cosponsorships include:

H.J.Res. 13, the Democracy for all Amendment, which would amend the Constitution to clarify that states and Congress have the right to regulate and impose reasonable limitations on campaign finance. This would undo some of the negative effects of the Citizens United decisions.
H.R. 1118, the DISCLOSE Act of 2023, which would provide for additional disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, Super PACs and other 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 COVID-19 emergency assistance, 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 U.S. House Problem Solvers Caucus, an official caucus of the House consisting of 63 House Members equally divided between 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.