Caucus targets health care, women's safety

Jan. 25—Related Photo Gallery: Hawaii Women's Legislative Caucus unveils bill package

Greater protections for women and children would be supported through bills introduced this legislative session by the Hawaii Women's Legislative Caucus.

The package from the caucus includes five bills focusing on human trafficking, health and child care, abusive litigation, and sexual abuse on minors, in addition to resolutions that focus on access to contraceptives and abortions.

The caucus, made up of all female Republican and Democratic legislators, represents a bipartisan group of 21 state representatives and eight state senators.

"There are many states who don't have a women's caucus and Hawaii has been recognized in the country for having one of the most robust caucuses," state Rep. Lauren Matsumoto (R,

Mililani-Waipio Acres-

Mililani Mauka) told the

Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Wednesday after a breakfast and panel discussion of the bills.

The event held Wednesday morning at YWCA Lani­akea on Richards Street was attended by dozens of people — both male and female — ranging from teenage students to senior citizens.

One of them was Megan Burge, 17, a senior at nearby St. Andrew's School, who was most struck by the emphasis on women's health care in Senate Bill 2605 and its companion, House Bill 1966.

Both bills would provide health insurance coverage for various sexual, reproductive and overall health care services, such as

contraceptive supplies, breastfeeding support, folic acid supplements, interventions for mental health conditions, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, breast cancer chemo-

prevention counseling and abortions.

"As we see Roe v. Wade was overturned federally,

it doesn't protect everyone in the country from getting an abortion," Burge said. "Hawaii making a bill to protect our rights really will benefit women."

Matsumoto acknowledged that not every bill introduced by the caucus will be supported overall in the Legislature, but remains proud that the caucus unified around its package of bills.

"We have a wonderful process in how we vote and select each of those bills," Matsumoto said.

Matsumoto introduced HB 1967 — which has SB 2602 as its companion bill — to transfer funds from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to the state Department of Attorney General to better support services for human trafficking victims.

In 2014 the Legislature provided funds to DLIR to provide services for trafficking victims.

Matsumoto said during the panel discussion that in 2022 legislation was passed to create the state Department of the Attorney General's Special Investigations and Prosecution Division.

The next year, she said, the Attorney General's Office created a statewide human trafficking prevention program.

Matsumoto said the Attorney General's Office handles more work on human trafficking now, which would

be more "effective and efficient" in helping victims if the money moves over from DLIR.

State Rep. Terez Amato (D, Kihei-Wailea) introduced HB 1964 — which has SB 2603 as its companion bill — requiring the state Department of Human Services to establish a child care provider subsidy and bonus program to keep child care providers in the workforce.

"Addressing the shortage of child care providers is absolutely paramount in ensuring (parents) can get to their jobs and trust that their children are in good hands," Amato said.

Child care centers could apply for a bonus of at least $6,000 per year to help increase pay for their child care providers under the bills.

Both bills also would allow child care centers to receive subsidies to increase their pay to $16 per hour or more.

Basically, Amato said the "pay is typically not too great."

Outside the caucus,

Amato said she has signed on as a primary introducer for other bills that specifically address paid family leave, which would allow employees to take paid time off for issues such as caring for family members.

The Hawaii Women's Legislative Caucus also supports HB 1965, and companion bill SB 2604, which would add further protections for victims of abuse.

Angelina Mercado, executive director of Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, sat in the audience Wednesday and later told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the bills would allow judges to limit excessive litigation on behalf of abuse suspects.

Suspects, in some cases, could "drag victims through the courts to do the same type of coercion or abuse to maintain contact," Mercado said.

If a judge determines that litigation is abusive, the bills would require the abusers to cover their victims' costs, including court fees, attorney fees, transportation

expenses and child care

support.

The intent is to deter abusers from further harassing, controlling their victims and to "stop the weaponization of our courts," Mercado said.

SB 2601 and HB 1968 would extend the period to initiate a civil action on behalf of sexually abused minors, among other proposed training to respond to sexual abuse allegations.

Two resolutions supported by the caucus would urge retail stores and pharmacies to guarantee full access to any contraceptive approved by the Food and Drug Administration and limit further restrictions to safe and regulated abortions.

Matsumoto said, "I have been honored to be a part

of the Women's Legislative Caucus for the last 12 years. I think one of the wonderful things about the WLC is we are very focused on the legislation that we put in."