When I first joined the Republican Party in Hawaii, I believed we could be successful despite the national party’s agenda by defining our own.

Hawaii needed a credible opposition party, but the national party’s individual rights at all costs didn’t resonate with Hawaii’s, or my own, community-based values.

As House Minority Leader, I tried creating our own path while giving in just enough to keep the broader GOP happy. I left when I realized I was wrong.

This session, the state’s Republican legislators are proving that national Republican values are alive and well in their local party.

The eight GOP House and Senate members’ proposals and votes on parental rights, abortion and gun control import the Trump-DeSantis “culture wars” raging across the country and provide an important reminder that Hawaii Republicans can’t dissociate from their national party. And they may not want to. 

Parental Rights

Parental rights, particularly in education, have become a rallying cry for the right. Across the country, conservatives are pushing these issues at school board meetings, which are erupting in heated debates and threats of violence.

The most well-known examples are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ parental bill of rights, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and his Individual Freedom bill. The former bans teachers from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation in the classroom, while the latter bans “critical race theory.”

While the composition of our Legislature means Republican-led efforts to mirror these bills won’t succeed, it hasn’t stopped them from trying. Rep. Elijah Pierick’s claim that House Bill 877, which would establish an institute for restoration at healing at Richardson School of Law, would “promote critical race theory, which is basically racism against white people” is the most outrageous. Sen. Brandon Awa and Rep. Diamond Garcia’s parental rights bills banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity are equally offensive.

But House Bill 1393, signed by Reps. Lauren Matsumoto, Garcia and Pierick, may be the most insidious as it establishes a universally applicable, non-specified parent right. The bill defines that as the right of parents to “direct the upbringing, education, care, and welfare” of their child unless the government proves a compelling interest in restricting that right.

This right would not be limited to a particular educational topic, rather it would allow a parent to exempt their child from most activities unless the government makes a clear case to prevent it. Nearly identical bills have been introduced in Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota and Alabama along with 32 other parental rights bills introduced across the country and in the U.S. Congress.

Abortion

Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 1, a measure that defends a woman’s right to choose, into law on March 22. The Democrat-led bill was Hawaii’s effort to ensure women and medical professionals are protected following this summer’s United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Civil Beat and others have provided excellent descriptions of the bill, so I’ll focus on the attempted Republican amendments. 

A floor amendment provides alternative language for a bill when it’s debated on the chamber floor. Republican-introduced amendments are essentially ideological showpieces in the Hawaii Legislature.

During the final debate, both Matsumoto and Garcia introduced amendments that were rejected by the House. Matsumoto’s amendment sought to ban a minor’s ability to consent to abortion services. Garcia’s amendment would have restricted children younger than 16 from consenting to receive abortion services.

Matsumoto and Garcia and every other Republican in the House and Senate voted against Senate Bill 1. Democrat lawmakers Sen. Mike Gabbard and Rep. Sam Kong also voted no. 

Gun Control

Parental rights and abortion are purity test issues for socially conservative Republicans. While their decision to highlight their positions through floor amendments are a little surprising, their unanimous no vote on the Democrats’ abortion bill isn’t.

However, I am shocked this session by Republican lawmakers’ decision to mirror my former party’s national positions, particularly as support for stricter gun laws reached a new high in February amid a wave of mass shootings. While most Republicans don’t believe new gun laws are needed, their numbers are dwindling too. Further, Hawaii Republicans depend on non-Republican votes to win, making their introduction of a “Stand Your Ground” law even more remarkable.  

These laws came to the nation’s attention in 2005 when a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty for fatally shooting unarmed Black teen Trayvon Martin. Citing an increase in violent crimes, the House Minority Caucus’ legislative package included a bill that would bring Hawaii’s self-defense law in line with Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. 

Hawaii Republican’s House Bill 636 would allow a person who believes they are in immediate danger of significant physical harm to use deadly force even if they know they have a chance to walk away. It operates on the exact same premise that led to Zimmerman’s acquittal. It didn’t receive a hearing this session.

Also notable is Republican lawmakers unanimous decision on Friday to vote against a bill that would prohibit the carrying of firearms in certain areas, including schools, movie theaters and government buildings in Hawaii.

While Hawaii has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that declared New York’s concealed carry law unconstitutional could threaten them, and Senate Bill 1230 was drafted in response. 

To be clear, I do believe that logical people can view decisions about rights as a difficult balancing act. I signed a bill allowing parents to exempt their children from sexual education because I believed that most parents, like mine, would have the closest view of what their child was ready to process. 

But I’ve since understood that I should have taken a wider perspective. Not every parent is like mine. Laws are tools, and as lawmakers, we should always consider how someone might abuse the tools we’re putting into their hands. Hawaii Republicans should remember that.

As leading Republican presidential hopefuls, DeSantis and Trump are setting the tone on these culture war issues, and Hawaii’s Republicans are following their lead. I know better than most how hard it is to defy the national Republican agenda, but I strongly encourage my former colleagues to do it anyway. Come what may.