The Hawaii County Council moves forward Nuclear-Free Law
Restore Hawaii County’s
Historic Nuclear–Free Law!
Repeal the Military
Exemption!
Support Bill 206
Click on the link above to read the Bill
Send an email in support of Bill 206 to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov
On Wed. Oct. 16th, the Hawaii County Council voted 9-0 to support Bill 206 Draft 2 at its meeting in Kona to repeal the 40-year-old Military Exemption from the County’s Nuclear-Free Law. This is very good news. Several people testified from around the island in support of Bill 206. As far as I could tell, no one testified in opposition.
Bill 206 Draft 2 requires one more council vote to move the Bill to the Mayor for his signature to become County law. That second vote will be in Hilo, likely on Friday, Nov. 8th at 9 AM, although the time and date will not be confirmed until 6 days prior. But please mark your calendar. Try to attend the Hilo meeting at the Council Chambers. You can now send testimony by email up until 1 day before the final vote. People can also testify via zoom from their homes at the next meeting, or from various county sites around the Island. Call the County Clerk’s office for more information. 808-961-8255.
Mahalo for your support.
Jim Albertini for Malu ‘Aina
More Background
Hawaii County’s historic Nuclear-Free Law (No, 665) was passed in February 1981. Hawaii County was the first municipality in the U.S. to pass a law declaring itself a Nuclear-Free Zone. Since then, more than 100 or 200, other municipalities have passed similar laws.
Forty years ago, on July 18, 1984, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on the Hilo docks to protest a visiting US Navy Nuclear-armed warship – the USS Ouellet. After 3 years of requesting the US Navy to respect our County’s Nuclear-Free law without success, our organization announced that we planned a non-violent peaceful swimming protest of the next Navy Nuclear ship visit a month later. A Navy Nuclear ship visit was planned for the July Hawaii Japanese Chamber of Commerce Festival of the Pacific.
On July 17, 1984, the day before the nuclear warship’s scheduled arrival, the Hawaii County Council, under the leadership of then Council chair, Stephen Yamashiro, passed an emergency amendment “exempting the military” from the Nuclear-Free law. Having an amendment to the Nuclear-Free Law to exempt the military is like having an exemption for smokers from Smoking laws. It makes no sense. For more on the Hilo Bay Warship Peace Blockade, see https://malu-aina.org/?p=10305 My testimony on Oct. 1st can be viewed here. https://malu-aina.org/?p=10529
-- Jim Albertini Malu 'Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola'a (Kurtistown) Hawai'i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
