ILWU Local 142 informed the 442nd Sons & Daughters on 4 April that they are adding their support for passing HB600, a Bill submitted to the Hawaii State Legislature 15 months ago. This Bill will fix the current law that has the unintended, but real, effect of denying the right of a married/civil union couple to live together in the same Community Care Foster Family Home. Couples that have their costs paid by taxpayers through the Medicaid program are not affected by the current wording of the law. But couples who cannot qualify for taxpayer-funded Medicaid support are denied the right to live together, until they become so poor they need taxpayer support. Fixing this injustice to our elderly Kupuna is the target of HB600.
442nd RCT veteran and ILWU pensioner Noboru and Elaine Kawamoto are the latest victims of this faulty law. The problem was first encountered by a retired Hawaii State judge and his wife. The Legislature corrected the law in 2009, but the fix was allowed to lapse. HB600 should fix this problem once and for all.
For more details see
https://442sd.org/restore-elder-civil-rights-malama-pono-ke-kupuna/
More information on ILWU Local 142 can be seen at:
ILWU Local 142 An Injury to One is an Injury To All
https://www.ilwulocal142.org/blog/index.php
The ILWU Story in Hawaii
https://www.ilwu19.com/history/the_ilwu_story/organization_in_hawaii.htm
