As Senate and House leaders proposed ways to propel the state toward a more prosperous future, a hui of community groups rang in the 2014 legislative session by gathering in the Capitol courtyard to honor the past by continuing one of Hawaii’s most-revered ancient practices: pounding taro into poi.

Until 2011, producing and consuming handmade poi was illegal because it violated Department of Health food safety laws, event coordinator Daniel Anthony said. A law passed that year exempted hand-pounded poi, or pa’i’ai, from those laws.

"(This year is) a measurement of how far we’ve come as a political sustainable movement," Anthony said of legislative opening day festivities Wednesday. "What you’re seeing is actually real people in the community that normally never come out here, taking a part in our political system. This is something that’s really beautiful. This is like the dream of what America is: It’s people participating."

Many agricultural activists in Hawaii say restoring and preserving the land is closely, if not directly, linked to addressing the issues in the isles surrounding genetically modified organisms, and several who attended the opening day of the 2014 session used the event as a platform to voice their displeasure with genetically modified organisms and the GMO companies thatgrow the crops here.

"SHAME ON YOU," one large sign read in bold red letters, calling out three biotech companies that are suing Kauai County over its recently passed pesticide ordinance "(for) suing Kauai for the right to spray poisons next to our schools, homes and hospitals."

Native Hawaiian activist and Molokai resident Walter Ritte said GMO opponents and other land advocates plan to host a much bigger event at the Capitol on Jan. 29.

"This is a kind of busy day, so we just wanted to do kind of a low-key event," he said.

While Speaker of the House Joe Souki didn’t mention GMO legislation in his opening day remarks, Senate President Donna Mercado Kim said in her speech that GMOs are sure "to be a topic of considerable debate" this session.

Ritte said advocates hope to prevent state lawmakers from pre-empting the counties from passing GMO- or pesticide-related laws, as well as to get a long sought-after GMO labeling law and state-level protections and laws regarding the use of pesticides passed.

"This session is going to be a big session that we’re going to be involved with," he said. "We’ve got our act together."

Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser, a former state senator, said he’s concerned the state might consider preventing the counties from passing laws like Kauai’s, but that ultimately he doesn’t think lawmakers would be "foolish enough and shortsighted enough to go down that path."

"To think you could pass one statewide law that solves everybody’s problem is shortsighted, bad policy, and it’s bad politics," he said.

Hooser attended the opening day of the session in part because he was one of nearly 100 former state senators and representatives who were recognized in their respective chambers of service to commemorate Hawaii’s 55th year of statehood.

Other former lawmakers in attendance included Gov. Neil Abercrombie and former Govs. George Ariyoshi and John Waihee, who received a standing ovation.

Hooser said it felt good to be recognized and reflect on what it means to serve.

"I love what I do. You know, I wake up every morning and thank God that I’m able to serve in elected office and do this kind of work," he said. "And so sitting on the floor you think about that stuff, you think about all the people that came before you, that kind of thing."

In honoring the House’s former lawmakers, Souki said they helped Hawaii go "from a sleepy territorial outpost to a vibrant Pacific hub."

"These individuals understood above everything else the nature of our roots and our uniqueness," he said. "To them I say mahalo nui loa for all they have given and for all they have done."