Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, December 24, 2019

SELLING TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO ANYONE UNDER 21 IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE, following Pres. Donald Trump signing the measure Friday. The legislation was first authored by Kaʻū's Senator, Brian Schatz. Hawaiʻi was the first state to raise the tobacco age to 21, on Jan. 1, 2016, but federal law gives it more teeth and helps prevent visiting youth from carrying it into the state. The age was 18 for sale of tobacco. The new minimum age applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges.

     Said Schatz, "This is a big win for public health. Raising the minimum smoking and vaping age to 21 will protect our kids and… will save more than 200,000 lives every year."

     The measure is part of a larger appropriations bill, which includes $25 million for gun violence research. The funds would be shared by the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

     On the same day, Trump also signed a $738 defense bill, which created the first new military branch since the 1940s, Space Force. 

BENEFITING HAWAIʻI SMALL BUSINESSES is the goal of legislation enacted by Sen. Mazie Hirono and signed by Pres. Donald Trump on Friday. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, the legislation passed in the Senate as part of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

     Said Hirono, "Hawaiʻi relies on small businesses to drive economic growth and spur innovation, which is why I have continued to advocate for federal programs that support these businesses. This year's NDAA makes changes to promote business opportunities for Native Hawaiian Organizations and their businesses, and to improve research opportunities for other innovative businesses in our state."

     Daphne Tong-Pave, Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Organizations Association, said, "On behalf of the NHOA Board of Directors, we extend our heartfelt mahalo to Senators Mazie Hirono, Dan Sullivan, and James Inhofe for their steadfast support of the Native Hawaiian community. Their tireless efforts were instrumental in the enactment of the FY2020 NDAA that includes many provisions benefiting Native Hawaiian Organizations and other Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses.

     "In particular, the amendment to Section 811 will allow NHO-owned firms to grow their businesses and provide greater support to the Native Hawaiian community as they each strive to fulfill their unique missions that range across social and community objectives including youth programs, access to legal defense, leadership development, innovative youth education, specialized job training, health, financial literacy, business development, cultural engagement, community development, and other community needs."

     The legislation provides:

     Promoting Business Opportunities for Native Businesses, a provision that will expand federal contracting opportunities for Native Hawaiian Organizations, Alaska Native Corporations, and other Native businesses at the Department of Defense. Specifically, the provision raises the threshold applicable to certain DOD contracts from $20 million to $100 million, providing businesses in Hawaiʻi with the ability to compete for larger federal contracts.

     Improving Research Opportunities for Innovative Businesses, provisions that will improve DOD research opportunities for Hawaiʻi businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs – two programs Hirono has continued to advocate for during her time in Congress. Specifically, the bill includes a provision to require procurement centers to support small businesses with research solicitations and provide them with technical assistance. Under the provision, small businesses would also receive assistance to commercialize research developed through the SBIR and STTR programs.

     Prioritizing Innovative Research that Supports the National Defense Strategy, a provision to align research priorities for DOD, SBIR, and STTR projects with the priorities in the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy, providing clear guidance for research pursued through those programs.

     During the 112th Congress, Hirono introduced legislation to increase federal agency allocations for research and development to small businesses through the SBIR and STTR programs. Those allocations were subsequently increased, and since that time the Senator has continued to support expanding federal research opportunities for Hawaii small businesses through the programs. Last year, in 2018, Hawaiʻi small businesses received 32 research awards through the SBIR and STTR programs worth $25.3 million. DOD accounted for 19 awards worth $18.2 million.

     Hirono has also advocated for federal programs that support Native businesses, particularly Native small businesses, and earlier this year, in July, introduced the Native American Business Outreach Act (S. 2191), which would permanently authorize the U.S. Small Business Administration's business outreach and counseling programs for those businesses, providing more stability for Native businesses that seek assistance from SBA. Earlier this month a companion bill was introduced in the House.