Hawaii's economy depends on its small businesses, which provide the bulk of employment in our state. This is why I sought and received an appointment to the Small Business Committee. I strongly support increased federal investment in infrastructure, including our roads, mass transit, sewer and wastewater facilities. This is one reason I sought membership on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over highways, transit, aviation, maritime commerce and clean water and wastewater infrastructure. Island families are struggling to make ends meet. Our country cannot afford another eight years of this broken Bush economy.
Strengthening the Economy: Congress passed an economic stimulus package in February to boost consumer spending and stimulate business investment. We also passed sweeping housing overhaul legislation to stabilize the housing market and help struggling families get into affordable homes, which will help to jumpstart our economy.
This is a great start, but we need to do more. For one, we should consider introducing another stimulus package that targets increased infrastructure spending to generate jobs and have an immediate effect on our economy. It is also vitally important that we pass legislation that invests in our small businesses and act quickly to extend the renewable energy tax incentives that expire at the end of the year.