In 2005, I had been working as a committee clerk for Rep. Alex Sonson, then-chair of the House Committee on Human Services, for less than a week when he asked me to attend a pre-session meeting of the Keiki Caucus on his behalf.

It was my first government job after graduating with my first master’s degree in political science.

The Keiki Caucus is one of several legislative caucuses that brings together legislators, community leaders, and youth-centered organizations to propose policy changes to improve the lives of Hawaiʻi’s young people. At this meeting the big topic was creating a package of legislation to address as many health and human service issues as the budget would allow.

Sitting between then-House Health Committee chair Dennis Arakaki and then-Senate Human Services chair Suzanne Chun Oakland, I was immediately put on the spot by someone in the crowd who asked me whether my boss would be supportive of some of the ideas discussed that day. 

I hadn’t been fully briefed on my chair’s positions at the time, so I was completely clueless about most of the things being discussed and the lexicon being used. But I didn’t want to make a fool of my chair or my committee, so I told the caucus, “We haven’t had the time to review these omnibus proposals fully, but rest assured, we will follow up with you once we have.”

Heads immediately nodded across the room, with many people smirking in a way that affirmed what someone told me after the meeting, that I had followed in the pattern of the building’s politicians by saying absolutely nothing in an official capacity. 

I was so embarrassed that I made it a point to know as much as I could from then on about the Keiki Caucus, and I quickly became good friends with the staff of both Arakaki and Chun Oakland so they could mentor me.

I discovered in short order that the Keiki Caucus is the place that you will find some of the most well-informed and agile policymakers and stakeholders with the best solutions in Hawaiʻi. That tradition persists to this day, as one can see from the well-curated 2025 bill package that prioritizes dependent care tax credits, community schools, family and medical leave insurance, bans on flavored nicotine and free school meals.

I personally consider these ideas to be models of good government in action, not just because they address upstream policy issues that determine the success of our people, but because they are things that can bring us together.

For example, House Bill 755, relating to paid family leave, would make family leave insurance benefits payable starting in 2029 to an individual who is caring for a family member with a serious health condition or “a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking who needs leave for medical attention; mental health care or other counseling; victim services … court appearances; or relocation for themselves or a family member.”

This bill is especially relevant in the wake of the pandemic, which has left many individuals with long-term chronic conditions that can be unmanageable without the help of a caregiver. As someone who still experiences occasional side effects from my own Covid encounter, I can tell you that having a safety trampoline where someone can take care of me or I can take care of others is essential to life in middle age and beyond. The idea that we will work until we die or someone else replaces us is an industrial age concept that is not realistic given the kinds of challenges our population faces in in 2025.

There Is Such A Thing As A Free Lunch

Another bill which I hope will get some movement before lateral deadlines is House Bill 757, which provides universal free school breakfasts and lunches. It has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m. before the Education Committee.

A number of other states have already implemented universal free school meals including California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.

Childhood represents a key developmental window where nutrition is essential to brain function. Human ancestors evolved larger brains because of access to quality food, and our keiki will need quality meals in order to have the academic and athletic success needed to be competitive in the next decade and beyond.

The idea behind these measures and the others is that we can have policy wins when we address the most basic, common links that unite all of us, and that is concern for our children’s futures. Despite all the things that we occasionally disagree about passionately perspectives, there’s a power in coming together to give the next generation more than just a fighting chance in a world that is getting harder to adapt to and thrive in.

President George W. Bush, in one of his final speeches before leaving office in 2009, reflected that “It’s unacceptable to our country that vulnerable children slip through the cracks.” He added, “We believe that every child has dignity and worth. But it wasn’t just me who believed that. Fortunately, when we got to Washington, a lot of other people believed it — Democrats and Republicans.”

That’s a powerful statement to think about, even in today’s politically tense and divided times. If we can, together, make things work for the next generation, we can make other things work for other important things, and so on.

If I were to identify the bills that need to be passed this year, it’s the Keiki Caucus package, and I hope that all of you will contact your legislators and try to get all of these measures heard and passed.