MEDIA RELEASE

The state House of Representatives convened Wednesday the 2014 Legislative Session. In conducting the official business of the day, the House voted to pass several measures including one designating committee assignments changes for members.

“I’d like to congratulate and welcome Rep. Creagan to the House, as our newest member,” said Majority Leader Scott Saiki (D, Downtown-Kakaako-McCully). “In addition, my thanks to the following individuals for their service to the House. Every organization goes through frequent fine tuning to ensure that it optimizes its most valuable resource: human resources. These appointments and assignment changes reflect a part of that ongoing process.”

This morning, the House voted to approve HR2, which details changes to committee assignments as follows:

· Rep. Mark J. Hashem was appointed Chair of the Housing Committee and a member of the Health Committee and Human Services Committee; will no longer be the Vice Chair of the Labor & Public Employment Committee and a member of the Public Safety Committee and Transportation Committee; but will remain as a member of the Finance Committee.

· Rep. Gregg Takayama was appointed Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee and a member of the Labor & Public Employment Committee and Public Safety Committee; will no longer be a member of the Agriculture Committee, Economic Development & Business Committee, Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts Committee, and Tourism Committee; but will remain as a member of the Finance Committee.

· Rep. Kyle T. Yamashita was appointed Vice Chair of the Labor & Public Employment Committee, and will remain as a member of the Finance Committee, Public Safety Committee, and Transportation Committee.

· Rep. Richard Creagan, who was appointed as a member of the House of Representatives from the Fifth District to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Rep. Denny Coffman, will be a member of the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee, Judiciary Committee, Health Committee, Housing Committee and Human Services Committee.

· Rep. Ken Ito was appointed to the Economic Development & Business Committee, and will remain as the Vice Chair of the Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts Committee and a member of the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee and Judiciary Committee.

· Rep. Jessica Wooley was appointed to the Economic Development & Business Committee and Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts Committee, and will remain as the Chair of the Agriculture Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee.

· Rep. K. Mark Takai was appointed to the Tourism Committee, and will remain as the Chair of the Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts Committee and a member of the Education Committee and Higher Education Committee.

· Rep. Sharon Har was appointed to the Transportation Committee, Labor & Public Employment Committee, and Public Safety Committee, and will remain as the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee.

· Rep. Scott Y. Nishimoto was appointed to the Energy & Environmental Protection Committee, Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs Committee, and Water & Land Committee, and will remain as the Chair of the Legislative Management Committee and a Vice Chair of the Finance Committee.

· Rep. Mele Carroll will no longer be a member of the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee and Judiciary Committee, but will remain as the Chair of the Human Services Committee and a member of the Health Committee and Housing Committee.

· Rep. Mark M. Nakashima was appointed to the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee and Judiciary Committee; will no longer be a member of the Education Committee and Higher Education Committee; but will remain as the Chair of the Labor & Public Employment Committee and a member of the Public Safety Committee and Transportation Committee.

· Rep. Linda Ichiyama will no longer be the Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee but will remain as the Vice Chair of the Higher Education Committee and a member of the Education Committee, Labor & Public Employment Committee, Public Safety Committee, and Transportation Committee.