2015-09-09 Regular Session Minutes

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heavily influenced by were numerous concerns brought to me by my Kona constituents expressing concern about e-cigarettes and the accessibility of this product to minor children in our community." "What is important to note is at the time the Coalition wished to present me with the award", and for me to explain to them what I was doing in Hawai`i County to benefit the healthy, healthy community to foster healthy community was that our bill had already been formulated and drafted and was awaiting introduction to the Hawai`i County Council. The first bill that was passed was in 2013 I think it was. You know before I even did that bill, we started the second bill. That was when I first wanted to start doing these bills to help creating healthy lifestyles. So the bill that was to raise the age to twenty-one, that was passed in 2013. Again, the constituent that called my office about the second bill that was passed in 2014 I think it was. That bill was started before the raise the age to twenty-one which was passed in 2013. You know these bills take months to draft. When you go through the whole process of vetting these bills, through the different departments, you gotta vet them through the Police Department, I had to vet them through the Attorney General's office to see if us as a County could actually make these bills. They raised the age to twenty-one, that was passed by State so that's going to be something that we as a County will have to look to changing the laws to make it compatible with the State law. So again these bills take very long time to draft and vet through all the different departments. And you know I'm sorry the petitioner feels his business has been harmed by the Hawai`i County legislation banning the sale of e-cigarettes to minor children and putting them on the same lines as our already tobacco free laws here in Hawai`i County. Please know the decision to introduce this bill was made after receiving the groundswell of constituent concern. The bills were openly debated and the opportunity for public input was afforded pursuant to our laws. In the end, the Council passed this law, and the Mayor signed it. Again it was passed by the majority of the Council. The receipt of$536 of travel expense for me and for my staff member was hardly the reason this bill was presented to the Council and the public and to the Council and public for scrutiny and passage. "As discussed above, the receipt of air travel expenses occurred after the bill had already been formulated by my 17