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Events

HAWAII ECONOMIC MOMENTUM COMMISSION SEEKING PUBLIC COMMENT ONLINE AND AT PUBLIC MEETING

Honolulu, Hawaii -- The Economic Momentum Commission (EMC) today launched an online public “voting” system  and announced a statewide “Town Meeting” on November 15 where Hawaii’s citizens can comment on the draft recommendations issued last week by the commission.

On November 1, the EMC made public its draft recommendations aimed at sustaining Hawaii’s current economic momentum over the longer term.  The recommendations suggest changes in such areas as housing, taxation, education, workforce development, tourism, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, health care, the environment and Native Hawaiian issues.

The full report is available to the public online at www.emc-hawaii.com.   The commission invited the public to comment on its draft through the website.  Starting today, members of the public may also use the website to “vote”  to rank what they believe should be the 10 highest priority ideas on the EMC list.

“We look forward to hearing from the public to help us further refine and finalize the recommendations in early December,” said Don Horner, president and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank and chairman of the commission.

Besides voting on the recommendations or making a comment on the website , the public may also comment on the EMC draft by:

• Attending the statewide "virtual Town Hall" meeting to be conducted via closed-circuit broadcast using the University of Hawaii HITS system.  That meeting will originate at 6 p.m. on November 15 from sites on six islands. 

The live sites will be: 
    UH-Manoa Kuykendall Hall, Room 201
    Kapiolani Community College Naio Building Room 207
    Leeward Community College Business Education Building Room 103
    Windward Community College Hale Akoakoa 113 (HITS studio)
    Kauai Community College Learning Resource Center, Room 122
    UH Center at West Hawaii, Building 4, Room 3
    UH-Hilo Media Services Room 344
    Maui Community College Ka'aike Room 105A
    Maui CC’s Molokai Education Center, Room 103
    Maui CC’s Lanai Education Center, HITS Room.

Because space is limited at the studios used for the meeting, please reserve a seat on your island by November 14 if you plan to attend by calling:
    Enterprise Honolulu on Oahu (521-3611, ext. 10)
    Kauai Economic Development Board (245-6692)
    Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (935-2180)
    Maui Economic Development Board (875-2300, for meetings on Maui, Molokai and Lanai).

• Attending a second meeting Oahu public meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 18, at the Ching Conference Center at Chaminade University, 3140 Waialae Avenue.  Participants may park anywhere on campus that evening.  Dates and sites of additional Neighbor Island meetings will be announced soon.

• Faxing a comment to (808) 525-8708.

• Writing to the Economic Momentum Commission, c/o Enterprise Honolulu, 737 Bishop St., Suite 2040, Honolulu, HI 96813.

About the Economic Momentum Commission  
 The 30-member Economic Momentum Commission was formed this summer to develop an action plan to sustain the state’s current economic momentum over the longer term.  The Commission was formed by Governor Linda Lingle.  Among its members are the bipartisan leadership of the Legislature (including the House Senate President and Speaker of the House) as well as representatives from small and large businesses, labor unions, non-profit, environmental, cultural, educational organizations, government and the military.

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