Daniel Akaka

Change is not always a welcome concept.

I have the complete respect for you and the opinions that all of you hold.

It is clear our men and women in uniform now more than ever need to be educated in financial matters both before and after they complete their service to our country.

If there was one thing Congress could do to help CFPB better protect servicemembers and their families, what do you think that would be?

Thank you. Ms. Petraeus, I want to congratulate you and wish you the best as you focus on the important topic of financial education and consumer protection for military families.

I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 2:15 p.m. in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Future of Internet Gaming: What's at…

I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, November 10, 2011, at 2:15 p.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a legislative hearing on S. 1192, Alaska Safe Families and…

I thank the Chair. (The remarks of Mr. AKAKA pertaining to the introduction of S. 1763 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

Of course, what we are doing is to try to keep Hawaii as pristine as we can, because it is a beautiful place for the people who live here as well our visitors.

I think it was long in coming, but I am glad that there is coordination, and this is something that in a sense we are blessed with in Hawaii.

Somehow we need to let the rest of the country know how important it is to Hawaii that we do this.

Well, I want to thank this panel for your testimony and your responses. It will be helpful for us as we consider the bill and also think of how we can improve the services out here that deal with invasive species.

State officials strongly opposed USDA's decision to allow diseased honeybees to travel from New Zealand through Hawaii.

Hawaii was the last remaining place on Earth that supplied disease-free honey queen bees to the rest of the world.

I feel that there have been a number of improvements, as you allude to, in the last few years in terms of the structure within the Office of Federal Operations.

I am confident that DHS will be able to establish an Office of Agricultural Inspection that can effectively coordinate with field operations while enhancing agricultural inspections.

I would like to commend Kevin Harriger and Dianna Bowman for their strong leadership in guiding these efforts.

Mr. Phocas, your testimony raised the issue of Hawaii being used as a clearinghouse for the distribution of illegal or harmful species of fish and reptiles traveling to and from the mainland and even foreign countries.

Why is that investment so uneven, and do you think the balance should be re-evaluated?

I want to commend the Service for making prevention a primary focus.

Thank you very much, Mr. Murley.

Hawaii becomes economically disadvantaged.

I think the Federal quarantine on Hawaii is old, I believe it is archaic, and it should be seriously reviewed.

Each of your statements raised an important issue about the uncertain future Hawaii's farmers face.

Even if one person lost his or her life because of a snake invasion, I think that is one infestation too much.