Colleen Hanabusa
Encyclopedia
Colleen Wakako Hanabusa is the U.S. Representative
for . She is a member of the Democratic Party
. She was formerly a member of the Hawaii Senate
, representing the 21st District since 1998. She served as the Senate Majority Leader, before being elected Hawaii's first woman President of the Senate in 2006, making her the first Asian American
woman to preside over a state legislative chamber in the United States. She is the third Buddhist elected to United States Congress
, and the fourth woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii (after Patsy Mink
, Pat Saiki
, and Mazie Hirono
). On August 24, 2011, she announced her intention to run for re-election to her current seat in Congress.
, Colleen Hanabusa grew up in Waianae
with her two younger brothers, her parents, and her grandparents. In 1969 she graduated from St. Andrew's Priory
. She received her B.A. in Economics & Sociology in 1973 and her M.A. in Sociology in 1975 from the University of Hawai'i and in 1977 received her J.D. from the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law
.
's to be One of Hawai`i's A+ Attorneys in 1993 and subsequent years.
from the 21st District. The 21st District includes Wai'anae, where her family has resided for four generations, as well as Ko 'Olina
, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Ma'ili
, Makaha, Makua and Ka'ena Point
.
One of Hanabusa's first acts upon being elected was to organize Senators to vote against second term confirmation of Hawaii Attorney General
Margery Bronster
.
Hanabusa served as the Senate Majority Leader, before being elected the first woman President of the Senate in 2006 – making her the first Asian American woman to preside over a state legislative chamber in the United States. In 2003 she was named one of Hawaii’s “top ten political power brokers” along with the state’s governor and two U.S. senators, by Hawaii Business Magazine
.
Hanabusa previously ran unsuccessfully in a special election held in January 2003 replace the late Patsy T. Mink to represent Hawai'i's 2nd congressional district
, and in 2006 for the seat being vacated by Representative Ed Case
, a Blue Dog Democrat.
, a move she declared necessary to spur development for the Leeward area but others saw as a reward for her close associate and political backer, Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone. In 2002 Hanabusa emerged as the leading advocate for legislation authorizing $75 million in tax credits for Stone's Ko Olina resort. When Governor Ben Cayetano
vetoed the tax credit bill, Hanabusa took the unprecedented step of suing to overturn the veto.
Within months, Hanabusa's then-fiance John Souza received a preferential deal in purchasing one of Stone's homes in Ko Olina. In February 2005, less than two years after Souza bought the home, he sold it for a $421,000 profit, according to real estate records. Souza and Hanabusa, who were engaged at the time and married in 2008, then bought a $1 million home in another Ko Olina subdivision developed by Centex Homes of Texas.
The Ko Olina tax credit legislation, intended to promote development of a “world-class” aquarium at the resort, expired after plans for the aquarium were abandoned. Ko Olina Resort eventually returned the tax credit, but the Lingle
Administration and Hanabusa disagreed on how to use the returned funds.
's term; then-City Councilman Charles Djou defeated her without winning a majority of the votes due to the rules of the winner-take-all election that split the Democratic vote between Hanabusa and rival Ed Case
, a moderate Democrat.
U.S. Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel Akaka
supported Hanabusa's special election campaign and backed her again in the September Democratic primary. Some in the national Democratic Party
indicated a preference for Case, who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives before an unsuccessful U.S. Senate primary challenge to Akaka in 2006. The national Democratic leadership remained officially neutral.
On May 30, 2010, Case, citing his third place showing in the special election and to avoid a rift among Democrats that could lead to a Djou win in the November election, announced his withdrawal from the race and threw his support behind Hanabusa. That placed Hanabusa as the top Democratic candidate in the September party primary, which she then won. Hanabusa subsequently challenged Djou for the same seat and on November 2 proceeded to win in the general election with a 53.2% to 46.8% margin.
Hanabusa has announced her intention to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives
, instead of running to replace retiring U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka in the 2012 U.S. Senate elections
.
Hanabusa is the third Buddhist to join the United States Congress, the others being Hank Johnson
of Georgia and Mazie Hirono
of Hawaii. Hanabusa's election makes Hawaii the only state with a majority non-Christian House delegation.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for . She is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. She was formerly a member of the Hawaii Senate
Hawaii Senate
The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently...
, representing the 21st District since 1998. She served as the Senate Majority Leader, before being elected Hawaii's first woman President of the Senate in 2006, making her the first Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
woman to preside over a state legislative chamber in the United States. She is the third Buddhist elected to United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and the fourth woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii (after Patsy Mink
Patsy Mink
Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink was an American politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Mink was a third generation Japanese American and member of the Democratic Party. She also was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.Mink served in the U.S...
, Pat Saiki
Pat Saiki
Patricia Fukuda "Pat" Saiki is an American politician and former school teacher from Hilo in the State of Hawai'i. She served as a Republican in Congress from 1987 to 1991 and then as Administrator of the Small Business Administration under President of the United States George H. W...
, and Mazie Hirono
Mazie Hirono
is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.She was the second Asian immigrant elected lieutenant governor of a state of the United States. She ran against Linda Lingle for governor of Hawaii in 2002, one of the few gubernatorial races in United...
). On August 24, 2011, she announced her intention to run for re-election to her current seat in Congress.
Early life and education
A fourth-generation American of Japanese ancestryJapanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
, Colleen Hanabusa grew up in Waianae
Wai'anae, Hawai'i
Waianae is a census-designated place in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,506.-Geography:Waianae is located at ....
with her two younger brothers, her parents, and her grandparents. In 1969 she graduated from St. Andrew's Priory
Saint Andrew's Priory School for Girls
St. Andrew's Priory School is a private all-girls college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1867 by Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, wife of King Kamehameha IV, the school enrolls students in kindergarten through grade 12. The enrollment is 550, with a student-teacher ratio of 8 to 1. ...
. She received her B.A. in Economics & Sociology in 1973 and her M.A. in Sociology in 1975 from the University of Hawai'i and in 1977 received her J.D. from the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is a public, co-educational institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. Named after the beloved Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. Richardson, it is the only law school in the State of Hawaii...
.
Law career
Colleen Hanabusa is a labor lawyer with almost 30 years of experience, and a corporate officer in a family-run corporation. She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward and White, Inc., served as a delegate to the Hawai`i State Judicial Conference, and was noted in Honolulu MagazineHonolulu Magazine
-History:In 1888, when Hawaii was still a monarchy, King Kalākaua commissioned a magazine under royal charter to be Hawaii's ambassador to the world. That magazine was Paradise of the Pacific. For nearly a century, Paradise of the Pacific promoted local business and tourism by assuring citizens of...
's to be One of Hawai`i's A+ Attorneys in 1993 and subsequent years.
Hawaii Senate
In November 1998, Colleen Hanabusa was elected as the State SenatorHawaii Senate
The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently...
from the 21st District. The 21st District includes Wai'anae, where her family has resided for four generations, as well as Ko 'Olina
Ko Olina Resort
thumb|260px|Ko Olina as seen by airThe Ko Olina Resort is an area of beach and resort development on the leeward side of Oahu, Hawaii between Nanakuli and Kapolei on Farrington Highway and is part of the City and County of Honolulu. Known officially as "Ko Olina Resort & Marina", it has become a...
, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Ma'ili
Ma'ili, Hawai'i
Māili is a town and census-designated place in the Waianae District on the Island of Oahu, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii. In Hawaiian, māili means "pebbly" referring to rounded stones at the shore...
, Makaha, Makua and Ka'ena Point
Kaena Point
thumb|240px|Kaena Point as seen from Kāneana on the south shore near Mākua CaveKaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of land on the island of Oahu. The point can be reached by foot from both the West and the East coastlines; walking in from the north side is recommended...
.
One of Hanabusa's first acts upon being elected was to organize Senators to vote against second term confirmation of Hawaii Attorney General
Attorney General of Hawaii
The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the...
Margery Bronster
Margery Bronster
Margery S. Bronster is a lawyer who served as Attorney General of Hawaii from 1995 to 1999.-Career:Bronster graduated from Brown University, where she became fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and then Columbia University Law School in 1982. She went into private practice for Shearman & Sterling in New...
.
Hanabusa served as the Senate Majority Leader, before being elected the first woman President of the Senate in 2006 – making her the first Asian American woman to preside over a state legislative chamber in the United States. In 2003 she was named one of Hawaii’s “top ten political power brokers” along with the state’s governor and two U.S. senators, by Hawaii Business Magazine
Hawaii Business Magazine
Hawaii Business Magazine is a Honolulu-based business magazine. Its parent company, PacificBasin Communications, also publishes Honolulu Magazine, Hawaii Home + Remodeling, Island Family, Ala Moana magazine, Hawaii magazine and Japanese language visitor publication Hawaii Ai...
.
Hanabusa previously ran unsuccessfully in a special election held in January 2003 replace the late Patsy T. Mink to represent Hawai'i's 2nd congressional district
Hawaii's 2nd congressional district
Hawaii's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The district encompasses all rural and most suburban areas that are part of the City and County of Honolulu, which covers all of the island of Oahu...
, and in 2006 for the seat being vacated by Representative Ed Case
Ed Case
Edward Espenett "Ed" Case is a Democratic politician and a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Case, a Blue Dog Democrat, first came to prominence in Hawaii as majority leader of the Hawaii State Legislature and for his campaign for Governor of Hawaii in 2002...
, a Blue Dog Democrat.
Leadership positions
- Serving the Leeward Coast as State Senator since 1998
- State Senate President since 2007
- State Senate Majority Leader since 2007
- Chair, Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee
- Co-chair, Joint Senate House Task Force on Ice and Drug Abatement
- Senate's first statewide hearings on Rice v. Cayetano
- United States Supreme Court decision Co-Chair, Joint Senate House Investigative Committee: Felix Consent Decree
- 2001 Vice Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee
- Vice President, State Senate
- Chair, Senate Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs
Key legislation introduced
- 3 R's program for repair and maintenance of schools
- Repeal of the Van Cam Law
- Tax credit to enable construction and jobs at Ko Olina
- Bill to reform election contributions
- Bill to pay the awards of the Individual Rights Panel-DHHL
- Bill to require community notice prior to establishing a halfway house
- Bill for a ceded land inventory Education Initiatives
Controversies
When in the State Legislature, Hanabusa introduced a bill to offer tax credits of up to $75 million for development at Ko Olina ResortKo Olina Resort
thumb|260px|Ko Olina as seen by airThe Ko Olina Resort is an area of beach and resort development on the leeward side of Oahu, Hawaii between Nanakuli and Kapolei on Farrington Highway and is part of the City and County of Honolulu. Known officially as "Ko Olina Resort & Marina", it has become a...
, a move she declared necessary to spur development for the Leeward area but others saw as a reward for her close associate and political backer, Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone. In 2002 Hanabusa emerged as the leading advocate for legislation authorizing $75 million in tax credits for Stone's Ko Olina resort. When Governor Ben Cayetano
Ben Cayetano
Benjamin Jerome "Ben" Cayetano served as the fifth Governor of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino American to serve as a state governor in the United States.- Early years :...
vetoed the tax credit bill, Hanabusa took the unprecedented step of suing to overturn the veto.
Within months, Hanabusa's then-fiance John Souza received a preferential deal in purchasing one of Stone's homes in Ko Olina. In February 2005, less than two years after Souza bought the home, he sold it for a $421,000 profit, according to real estate records. Souza and Hanabusa, who were engaged at the time and married in 2008, then bought a $1 million home in another Ko Olina subdivision developed by Centex Homes of Texas.
The Ko Olina tax credit legislation, intended to promote development of a “world-class” aquarium at the resort, expired after plans for the aquarium were abandoned. Ko Olina Resort eventually returned the tax credit, but the Lingle
Linda Lingle
Linda Lingle was the sixth Governor of Hawaii. Lingle holds a number of distinctions: first Republican elected governor of Hawaii since the departure of William F...
Administration and Hanabusa disagreed on how to use the returned funds.
Elections
Hanabusa ran unsuccessfully in the May 22, 2010 special election to serve out the remaining months of former Representative Neil AbercrombieNeil Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie is the 7th and current Governor of Hawaii. He was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 2010 when he resigned to successfully run for governor...
's term; then-City Councilman Charles Djou defeated her without winning a majority of the votes due to the rules of the winner-take-all election that split the Democratic vote between Hanabusa and rival Ed Case
Ed Case
Edward Espenett "Ed" Case is a Democratic politician and a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Case, a Blue Dog Democrat, first came to prominence in Hawaii as majority leader of the Hawaii State Legislature and for his campaign for Governor of Hawaii in 2002...
, a moderate Democrat.
U.S. Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel Akaka
Daniel Akaka
Daniel Kahikina Akaka is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is currently the only member of the Senate who has Chinese ancestry....
supported Hanabusa's special election campaign and backed her again in the September Democratic primary. Some in the national Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
indicated a preference for Case, who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives before an unsuccessful U.S. Senate primary challenge to Akaka in 2006. The national Democratic leadership remained officially neutral.
On May 30, 2010, Case, citing his third place showing in the special election and to avoid a rift among Democrats that could lead to a Djou win in the November election, announced his withdrawal from the race and threw his support behind Hanabusa. That placed Hanabusa as the top Democratic candidate in the September party primary, which she then won. Hanabusa subsequently challenged Djou for the same seat and on November 2 proceeded to win in the general election with a 53.2% to 46.8% margin.
Hanabusa has announced her intention to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii, 2012
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the two U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's two congressional districts...
, instead of running to replace retiring U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka in the 2012 U.S. Senate elections
United States Senate election in Hawaii, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii will take place on November 6, 2012 concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S...
.
Tenure
After House GOP leader John Boehner (R-OH) pledged to give incumbent Congressman Charles Djou a seat on the Appropriations Committee, Senator Dan Inouye (D-HI) stated that Democrats would also name Hanabusa to Appropriations. However, House Democratic leadership instead appointed her to the Armed Services and Natural Resources committees.Hanabusa is the third Buddhist to join the United States Congress, the others being Hank Johnson
Hank Johnson
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in DeKalb County, a largely suburban county east of Atlanta. It also includes portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale counties.-Life, education and...
of Georgia and Mazie Hirono
Mazie Hirono
is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.She was the second Asian immigrant elected lieutenant governor of a state of the United States. She ran against Linda Lingle for governor of Hawaii in 2002, one of the few gubernatorial races in United...
of Hawaii. Hanabusa's election makes Hawaii the only state with a majority non-Christian House delegation.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed ServicesUnited States House Committee on Armed Servicesthumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...
- Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsUnited States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsHouse Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:...
- Subcommittee on ReadinessUnited States House Armed Services Subcommittee on ReadinessHouse Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:The Readiness Subcommittee exercises oversight and legislative jurisdiction over:...
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native AffairsUnited States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native AffairsThe United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs is one of the five subcommittees within the House Natural Resources Committee-Members, 112th Congress:- External links :*...
- Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs
- Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
External links
- Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa official U.S. House site
- Colleen Hanabusa for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Profile on Emily's ListEMILY's ListEMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....