Appropriating funds for a comprehensive breast and cervical cancer control program, addressing infant mortality issues and providing parents with information about the vaccination for human papillomavirus are among this year’s top priorities for the Women’s Legislative Caucus, members announced Thursday.
The bipartisan caucus made up of House and Senate members also hopes to pursue legislation to remove Hawaii’s statute of limitations on sexual assault, restore judiciary funding of domestic violence programs, establish a human trafficking victim services fund and name Kihei’s planned public high school Patsy Takemoto Mink High School.
"As a role model for young women and as a pioneer in women’s rights, she deserves this honor for all that she accomplished for women in Hawaii and across the nation," state Sen. Rosalyn H. Baker (D, West Maui-South Maui) said in a news release.
State Rep. Della Au Belatti (D, Moiliili-Makiki-Tantalus) said another way the caucus hopes to honor Mink, a 12-term U.S. representative who co-authored the landmark Title IX amendment to the Higher Education Act, is by backing a resolution urging the University of Hawaii to compile a report of its sexual assault policies, procedures, staffing and statistics related to complying with Title IX (renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act by Congress) and the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.
"We want to make sure that we don’t fall behind on women’s issues," Belatti said Thursday during a caucus news conference held at the YWCA in downtown Honolulu. "And what we’re very concerned about — and what a number of women are concerned about — is what’s happening at UH-Manoa and whether or not there’s enough being done, if there’s clear policies and procedures for reporting sex assaults."
Belatti added that an internal audit is taking place at UH to determine whether the university’s policies comply with the recently updated Violence Against Women Act.
"We want to stay on top of the issues, and we want to nip it in the bud … and we want to prevent those lawsuits before they happen and make sure women on our campuses are protected," she said.
Another way to stay on top of women’s issues, Baker said, is by promoting education.
"If people don’t even know what’s available to them, then you’re not giving them a tool around which they can make a decision," Baker said of the bill that would require the Department of Education to work with the Department of Health to annually provide parents of sixth-grade students with information regarding the vaccination for human papillomavirus, or HPV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, HPV is a widespread sexually transmitted infection that most sexually active men and women will contract at some point, even those with only one partner. It can cause genital warts or certain cancers but goes undetected in most people, according to the CDC.
"It’s not (about) telling them that they must do one thing or the other," Baker said. "It’s (about) just giving them information because if you’ve got the information … you can talk to doctors and nurses about this as a strategy for your child."
The caucus dedicated its package to the state Commission on the Status of Women, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year by calling it the "Year of the Girl."
The caucus also honored Health Director Loretta Fuddy, who died of cardiac arrhythmia after a plane crash off Molokai in December.
Fuddy "was a stellar example of dedicated public service and commitment," the caucus said in its package. "Her loss is felt by all, particularly those who looked to her quiet yet dynamic leadership in resolving Hawaii’s many health issues."
