The Hawaiian Catholic Church made an appearance

LEGISLATION REPORT

What would Jesus do?

In this summary report at the conclusion of the Hawaii State Legislature, there are not enough words to describe the impact Hawaii’s faith community has had over the past year. The church has done what it does best – it has risen to the challenge of helping those less fortunate.

Hawaii Catholic Charities, HOPE Services Hawaii, St. Francis Healthcare Systems of Hawaii, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and Hawaii’s Catholic Schools have proven that when your mission is to go beyond your self-interest, the world is changed. Pandemic or not, there have been champions making sure the voices of those in need are heard.

Hawaii Catholic Charities continued their strong advocacy of affordable housing, endorsing legislation that would provide more funding for affordable rental housing, create a wider supply of housing (ALOHA Homes), or cut costs (i.e., exempt family projects from school fees). Catholic charities also strongly supported bills that would impact highly vulnerable populations, including emergency relief and ongoing funds to address the general relief budget shortfall (for people with disabilities) and bills to support homeless youth and youth victims of human trafficking. Although not all of these bills passed, the overall priorities of CCH were funded.

On the Big Island, HOPE Services worked diligently to ensure the community had access to financial management resources, outreach programs including housing and social services, and disaster relief. They expertly managed short-term emergency shelters. The agency also worked hard to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among homeless and medically vulnerable populations.

Superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools Llewellyn Young worked with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools to lobby for the Emergency Relief for Non-Public Schools (EANS) grant. It’s important to note that all Catholic schools in Hawaii remained open during the pandemic, while most public schools were closed. Chaminade University offered in-person learning on campus in addition to virtual learning to ensure students received the best possible education given the circumstances.

St. Francis Healthcare continued its legacy of compassion. A key new service is Hale O Meleana, a 111-unit home care facility licensed to provide a full spectrum of senior care, from residential adult care to assisted living and memory care to intermediate and skilled nursing. Over a dozen residents are already on campus and more are waiting. Memory maintenance is a major concern in the community. The CARES Act funds were running out, so the program that St. Francis was providing had to be cut back. Several key figures in the state want to get the program up and running again. The Hawaii State Department of Health awarded a grant to St. Francis to continue to provide packed lunches and household needs to many older people in the community.

Finally, on the life front, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow registered nurses with advanced practice to perform medical or aspiration abortions. Governor Ige signed the law into law on April 14. Despite many other overarching needs, this law has been moved to a prominent place, and the pandemic has been consistently cited as justification for this promotion of abortion access.

The 2022 session could again pose risks for social services as Hawaii’s economy has been slow to recover and many businesses have closed. Hawaii’s tax revenues are expected to be lower than normal for at least the next two years. And in terms of life issues, attempts will be made to get registered advanced nurses to include assisted suicide in their practice.

The next session will be challenging, but rest assured that the care and services of the Catholic community will continue. You can be sure of that because that is what Jesus would do.

Eva Andrade is the director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference.