Hawaii Legislators Connect With Local

Our local union members were very fortunate to have our Hawaii legislators join us at noon on June 3 for a Zoom recap of the 2021 legislative session. Executive Director Mericia Palma Elmore welcomed everyone and thanked the nine legislators for attending the meeting and sharing with our local. 

She began by asking each legislator to introduce themselves and share a highlight of the past session with our union members. Legislators talked about important bills that were passed this session that positively impact the state of Hawaii and our industry, including the bill on deepfakes and another on publicity rights. The senators and representatives discussed their goals to help grow the state economy after a very tough year globally. 

The television and film industry in Hawaii grew significantly during the pandemic, thanks in part to stringent COVID protocols, spearheaded and negotiated by SAG-AFTRA and implemented on all productions, across all platforms, and also due to low infection numbers across the state. 

The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer panel, during which local members could discuss policy topics with the legislators. Thank you to all the union members who participated and for the following legislators for their time:

- Rep. Sylvia Luke, chair of the House Finance Committee. 
- House Majority Leader Della Au Bellati.
- Sen. Glenn Wakai, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism.
- Rep. Aaron Ling Johanson, chair of the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. 
- Sen. Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and vice chair of the Senate Committee on Water and Land.
- Sen. Chris Lee, chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation.
- Rep. Richard Onishi, chair of the House Labor Committee.
- Rep. Lisa Kitagawa, vice chair of the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee.
- House Minority Leader Val Okimoto.