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| January 22, 2021 |
 Aloha, Friend: U.S. Representative Don Young is a Republican from Alaska who is the Dean of the House, having served since 1973, longer than any other Member. He is a colleague and a friend and, although there is much on which we disagree, we partner as and where we can on matters of mutual interest to Alaska and Hawai‘i, as he has done with generations of Hawai’i Members. On January 3rd, as we all gathered in the U.S. House chamber to commence the 117th Congress (2021-2023) just three days before the violent assault on our Capitol and democracy, it was Representative Young’s duty as Dean to swear in the Speaker. Before he did, he took a few moments to convey thoughts to all of his colleagues: “I have been in this House longer than anybody else. … I love this institution. I will be honest: I do not like what I see. It is time we hold hands and talk to one another.” Wednesday, just two weeks after the attack, I was deeply humbled to attend the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris on the Capitol steps. As I listened to President Biden’s inaugural address to our nation and world, Don’s words came back as a new President asked of each and all of us much of the same: We are one ‘ohana. Stop, listen, consider, talk. Agree where we can, disagree constructively where we can’t. Trust in our democracy and our foundations to muster the best in us to find the best way forward for all Americans, together. Here is President Biden's Inaugural Speech along with my own comments. Whether or not you supported President Biden for President, I hope you will read or reread his thoughts, his appeal to national unity in the face of severe crises on several fronts. Not unity of thought on every issue; that is not what democracy is about. But unity of purpose, of commitment to our country, of common values, all carrying with them the obligation to start by holding hands and talking with one another. This Inauguration, like the 58 that preceded it back centuries, was not just an event, but an opportunity to renew our vows to our country, to each other. It offers a new beginning to us all, and I pledge to do my part as I turn back to my three-part mission as your U.S. Congressman to (1) help lead our country, (2) help our Hawai‘i, and (3) help you and yours. In that spirit: Small Business and Social Security Talk Stories I am continuing with my open community talk stories on critical issues facing us all. My next two will address COVID-19 emergency assistance to Hawaii’s small businesses and Social Security benefits for so many Hawai‘i residents. Here are the details: Small Business Talk Story with Congressman Ed Case Wednesday, January 27th, 9:00 - 10:30 AM HST I will be joined by special guests Thornton (Mark) Spain, the new Small Business Administration District Director for the State of Hawaiʻi, Cathy Wiltse, the State Director of Hawai‘i Small Business Development Centers, and Dana Hauanio, the Director of the Minority Business Development Agency Business Center Honolulu. To sign up for my event, please visit this link. Social Security Talk Story with Congressman Ed Case Wednesday, February 3rd, 10:00 - 11:30 AM HST I will be joined by Jane Burigsay, Public Affairs Specialist with the Social Security Administration (SSA). We will be discussing how SSA is operating in the Covid-19 environment to deliver you your benefits and answer your questions. You may submit questions ahead of time to edcase.events@mail.house.gov and we will try and get through as many as possible. To sign up for this workshop, please register here: https://ushr.zoomgov.com/j/1607369437pwd=TjdITGFaSDVRZVhQcGVWSlNjUTI2UT09 Jones Act and Other Legislation As we commence this two-year Congress, I am introducing and pursuing legislation on issues of special concern to our Hawai’i. Here are three of the bills I’ve introduced to date: Jones Act Last week, I introduced three pieces of legislation to reform the century-old Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (commonly referred to as the “Jones Act”), which is widely credited with unnecessarily increasing our cost of living in Hawai‘i. My bills are:
My statement for the official Congressional Record on introductions is here. Safe and Quiet Skies Act Yesterday, I re-introduced my Safe and Quiet Skies Act, which would impose strict safety and community disruption regulations on commercial air tour operations to include helicopters and small planes. My bill would address safety and national defense risks and community disruption, by prohibiting overflights of defense, park, cemetery and other sensitive installations and requiring minimum altitude and maximum noise limits on all flights. Additionally, it would allow states, localities and tribes to impose stricter regulations on tour flights in their jurisdictions, to include time, route and frequency, with required public engagement. My statement for the official Congressional Record on introduction is here. Hawai‘i Invasive Species Protection Act Yesterday, I re-introduced my Hawai‘i Invasive Species Protection Act, which would require the same preclearance inspection of baggage for invasive pests currently required when leaving Hawai‘i to be required before entering the state (in other words, what is good for California should be good for Hawai‘i). Since I introduced this bill in the last Congress, even more invasive pests and diseases have snuck into Hawai‘i including coffee leaf rust, which is devastating our coffee industry. My bill would be a critical component in preventing these invasives that are threatening our unique national resources and local agricultural producers from coming to Hawai‘i. My statement for the official Congressional Record on introduction is here. Please know that my D.C. and Honolulu staff and I remain fully committed to seeing our county, our Hawai’i and you and yours through this very difficult time for us all. As always, please contact me at ed.case@mail.house.gov with any questions and comments. Best wishes and be well.
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