Usually you don’t see a bunch of Hawaii lawmakers with serious looks on their faces crowding together behind the governor to hold a press conference unless something terrible has happened, like a hurricane or flood. Usually you don’t see a bunch of Hawaii lawmakers crowding around this governor in a show of solidarity at all.

The day before this legislative session began, key leaders of both the state House and Senate joined with Gov. David Ige and representatives from Hawaii human service agencies and local businesses to announce an already-agreed-upon package of bills aimed at helping Hawaii’s low-income and working class residents. It was an impressive show of unity.

There are 100 ways to pick apart this package, to find fault in the ideas, question why other proposals aren’t part of this push, or point out with a degree of cynicism that this is an election year for all 51 House seats and 13 in the Senate so it is in their best interests to look busy; but for a moment, at least here at this beginning point of the session, it is possible to see hope in this proposition.

The hopeful thing is that Hawaii lawmakers are focusing on real people, working people, struggling people. They’re not going into the session talking about propping up tourism or saving a particular species of coral or putting up cameras at traffic lights to catch people who blow through the reds.

The rallying cry isn’t about regulating a certain behavioral choice like smoking and seat belts and it isn’t about local global warming initiatives that are just a drop in the bucket as far as the globe is concerned. Those things are all important, but the Democratic leadership that dominates this Legislature is right to focus on the things that are the Legislature’s kuleana to fix: tax breaks, minimum wage, affordable housing for working families that can’t otherwise catch a break.

Is is worrisome that these measures were negotiated and agreed upon privately, away from the public eye before the session even started? In theory, yes, but it would be naive to think that this was in any way an unusual way for any lawmaking body to do their business.

It probably should happen more often, as we have seen too many promising ideas rise up and then die off because the legislator championing the measure never lined up enough support from colleagues.

Maybe this hope of unity on behalf of Hawaii’s people will take root and grow during the session, It would be great for some help for the middle class as well, for there are too many stories of people working fingers to the bone just to maintain a very no-frills lifestyle with little hope of truly prospering or even getting ahead just a little bit.

As in all things, there’s a big gap between saying you’re going to do something and then actually doing it. Doing it well is an even bigger stretch to span.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.