A light moment with the President Neil was invited to theWhite House for Rose Garden ceremony on May 22, 2009 when the President signed legislation cosponsored by Neil, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces which oversee the Air Force and Army. The legislation will save taxpayers billions of dollars by fixing a broken weapons acquisition system. After the signing, Neil presented the President with some made-in-Hawaii cookies. Neil's omiyage from home drew a smile from the Hawaii-born president who said it's always good to have something from home in the White House.
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Strong support for healthcare reforms Opinions varied, but they were all solidly behind reforms to the nation's healthcare system. That's the snapshot of opinion that Neil's first of two Healthcare Community Forums received in Honolulu on May 28, 2009. The first forum was tailored to providers. About 150 professionals, including hospital executives, nurses, medical technologists, and physicians, attended. Below Left: Neil, on video screen, and a panel of healthcare experts listen to a comment from the audience. Below Right: The panel included, from left to right, Coral Andrews, vice-president of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Marc Gannon of the Waikiki Health Center; Luann Long, president of the Hawaii Nurses Associatiion; and Jerris Hedges, dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Bottom: About 150 people attended the forum in Honolulu.
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Preserving nation's history at Honouliuli Neil visited Honouliuli Gulch on the island of Oahu (5/27/08) to see the site of an internment camp which detained Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began. One of the features he saw was an area that's believed to be the site of a kitchen used by internees (photo below). Honouliuli was selected as a location because it was isolated and considered a place no one wanted to be. Read more about Neil's bill to preserve Honouliuli.
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Neil joins Secretary Duckworth at ceremony Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth attended a Memorial Day service (5/25/09) with Neil at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. It was an opportunity for Neil and Duckworth to join the community in honoring the day and to discuss a bill Neil introduced in the House three days earlier to help the nation's "atomic vets" who were exposed to ionnizing radiatiion during the military service.
Below/Left: Neil chats with Secretary Duckworth at a Memorial Day ceremony in Honolulu. Below/Right: A ROTC cadet and two veterans lay a wreath at the ceremony, which was held at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
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Fighting for the rights of America's "atomic" vets Charles Clark, president of the Radiated Veterans of America which is comprised of vets exposed to ionizing radiation during the military service, and Neil spoke to reporters on Memorial Day (5/25/09) about Neil's "Atomic Vets" bill (photo below). The thrust of the measure would enable "atomic" vets to file medical claims with the Veterans Administration because of health problems resulting from their exposure to radiation during their service in the military. Clark was exposed when he was one of the first Americans to enter Nagasaki after the atomic bombing of that city. Read more about this in Neil's news release.
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Speaking to a national labor audience Neil spoke to the national legislative conference of the 2009 Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. on May 18, 2009. The BCTD coordinates and supports the work of its affiliated national and international unions to maintain a strong voice in government, in bargaining, and in their communities. Below: Sid Stolper, UA District Council 16 (CA), left, and Reginald Castanares from the UA of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, right, greeted Neil at their organization's conference.
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Neil reaches out to international audience via Voice of America TV program to discuss human rights in China On May 19, 2009, Neil was a guest on Voice of America’s Mandarin Chinese television program, “Issues and Opinions,” to talk about human rights in China and his leadership of the Congressional Caucus on Tibet. Neil helped to form the caucus last year to gain congressional support for the Dalai Lama and to raise awareness of the Chinese government’s human rights violations towards the people of Tibet. Below: Neil on the set of Voice of American's Mandarin Chinese television program, "Issues and Opinions," in Washington, D.C. He talked about human rights in China.
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A dialogue on health care reform The debate over health care is national momentum, and AFSCME nurses sat down with Neil to talk about reform proposals. (Photo below)
Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) representatives also talked about proposed reforms. They included Rich Meiers, president of HAH; Kevin Horwitz, board chair; Kevin Roberts, Castle Medical Center; and Art Ushijima, Queen's Hospital. (Photo below)
