Political Quotes

“I would like to personally congratulate and welcome back to Congress my colleague from Hawaii, Colleen Hanabusa, as she is sworn in to the 114th Congress today to fill the remaining term of our dear friend Mark Takai. Colleen has a decades-long history of service to the people of Hawaii. As a respected labor lawyer, Colleen was first elected to represent the leeward coast of Oahu in the Hawaii State Senate in 1998, where she served as the chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, majority leader, and eventually became the first female Senate president. She was elected to serve Hawaii's First Congressional District in 2010, serving in both the 112th and 113th Congress. Most recently, Colleen served the community in many different capacities, including as the board chairwoman for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, overseeing the multibillion dollar rail project on the island of Oahu. I had the pleasure of serving with Colleen during my first term in Congress, where we worked together to ensure Hawaii's voice was heard here in Washington, and I look forward to continuing that work to address the many important issues that lie before us to serve Hawaii once again. Congratulations, Colleen, and welcome back. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa). {time} 1900”