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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
205 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REquesting the University of Hawaii to develop a network of
scientists in the state to provide input on and scientific analysis of policies
under legislative consideration.
WHEREAS, historically, science has
played a pivotal role in government, ensuring that decisions made by
policymakers to advance health, safety, and environmental protection will benefit
the world and its citizens;
and
WHEREAS, in the late 1970s, concern about toxic
waste dumps at Love Canal and Valley of the Drums led to the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, which generates
funds to clean up waterways to this day; and
WHEREAS, as the result of the 1987 Montreal
Protocol agreement among one hundred ninety-seven countries to stop the
production of products containing ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons,
the hole in the ozone is shrinking and is now the smallest it has been since
1988;
WHEREAS, in 1988, the World Health
Organization adopted a resolution to eradicate
polio, leading to a decrease in the number of annual reported cases from an
estimated three hundred fifty thousand in 1988 to thirty-seven in 2016; and
WHEREAS, for fiscal year 2018, President Donald
Trump proposed to reduce funding for scientific research and cut the budget of
the Environmental Protection Agency by more than $2,700,000; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has taken
action to suspend and eventually rescind or revise the Clean Water Rule, which
would have enhanced the environmental protections provided by the Clean Water
Act; and
WHEREAS, the position of the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy, colloquially known as the President's Science Advisor,
has been vacant since Presidential inauguration day, the longest vacancy of
that position since its establishment; and
WHEREAS, scientific analysis
now remains the responsibility of the states, as federal focus on and funds for
science have decreased; and
WHEREAS, the University
of Hawaii and other departments of the State have historically played an
important role in the advancement of science and policy for Hawaii and the
world; and
WHEREAS, in 1988, University of Hawaii researchers
successfully established a deep ocean observation station regarded as one of
the best-sampled places in the world and, in doing so, compiled a decades-long
record of how the ocean responds to climate change; and
WHEREAS, carbon dioxide measurements
taken at Mauna Loa since 1958 are now entering an important new phase as they
monitor global efforts to curb greenhouse gas pollution in accordance with the
Paris Agreement; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, University
of Hawaii researchers participated in one of the most
significant astronomical discoveries when they observed a kilonova explosion,
the observations and study of which fundamentally affected our understanding of
the origin of many of the elements on Earth; now, therefore,
BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the University of Hawaii is requested to
develop a network of scientists in the State to provide input on and scientific
analysis of policies under legislative consideration; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University
of Hawaii is requested to develop the network for the purpose of ensuring that
decisions made by the Legislature are based upon the most objective and
best available scientific research and data; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution
be transmitted to the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House
of Representatives, Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii,
and President of the University of Hawaii.
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OFFERED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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University
of Hawaii; Scientist Network: Legislative Analysis