HPA
RULES
D-II
SPORTS, B1
Friday, February 9, 2018
Limiting lifeguard liability
Plenty of bills offered, no hearings scheduled
Index
Big Isle History B4
Classified B6
Comics B5
Commentary A6
Government
hit with new
shutdown
Senate plans late-night voting
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government
stumbled into a shutdown at midnight
as a rogue Senate Republican
blocked a speedy vote on a massive,
bipartisan, budget-busting
spending deal, protesting the
return of trillion-dollar deficits
on the watch of Republicans
controlling Washington.
The shutdown — technically
a lapse in agency appropriations
— was the second government
closure in less than a month, another product
of election-year partisan disputes and
persistent internal divisions in both parties.
It crept up slowly Thursday night after
GOP Sen. Rand Paul repeatedly held up
votes on the budget plan, futilely seeking
a vote on reversing spending increases.
“I ran for office because I was very critical
of President Obama’s trillion-dollar
deficits,” the Kentucky senator said. “Now
we have Republicans hand in hand with
Democrats offering us trillion-dollar deficits.
I can’t in all honesty look the other way.”
Issue No. 40
22 Pages in
2 Sections
Today’s
weather
Page A2
Community A8
Crossword B4
Cryptoquote B4
Dear Abby B4
Horoscope B4
Nation A9
Obituaries A2
Religion A7
Sports B1
State A3
Surf Report A2
World A10
While county lifeguards
protect the public on local
beaches, they have very little
protection from lawsuits
when someone is injured
or drowns in the surf.
A 15-year-old state law giving
roughly 350 county lifeguards
the same limited liability
protection provided to state
Internet
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www.hawaiitribune-herald.com
lifeguards expired
June 30 after Gov.
David Ige vetoed
a bill extending
their protections.
Ige was concerned
the bill
went too far,
putting the state on the hook
even if the lifeguards were
negligent in their duties.
The governor said at the
time he was “confident”
an agreement between the
state and counties would be
reached, adding that “we’ll
be back next year.” So far,
that’s not happened.
Lifeguard protection bills
are indeed back in the mix as
the state Legislature advances
to a key Feb. 16 deadline
to have bills in their final
committee. The new bills
Hawaii
County
lifeguard
Ben Fisher
patrols
Hapuna
Beach on
an ATV.
LAURA
RUMINSKI/
West Hawaii
Today
HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald
Jordan Day of HCC’s Electrical Installation Maintenance Technology Program shows students how to strip
wire Thursday during the fifth annual Hawaii Community College Day at the Hawaii Community College
Manono campus in Hilo. The event encouraged middle and high school students to explore the college’s
academic programs through interactive booths that show the various degree and certificate programs
available at the campus.
State’s commitment to rat lungworm questioned
KAILUA-KONA —
Hawaii Island Rep. Richard
Creagan and the Hawaii
County Council don’t think
the state Department of Health
is as serious as it should be
about rat lungworm disease.
The Health and Human
Services Committee’s deferral
of House Bill 2663 on
Thursday morning
only solidified
that position.
The measure,
introduced
by Creagan,
D-Naalehu,
Ocean View,
Captain Cook, Kealakekua,
Kailua-Kona, doesn’t speak
to rat lungworm directly.
Instead, it would require each
county’s district health officer
to be a trained physician,
which Creagan said would
bring more expert attention
to serious issues such as permanent
disabilities caused
by the disease now afflicting
several Big Island residents.
District health officers on
Kauai and Maui are trained
physicians. Hawaii Island’s
DHO, Aaron Ueno, is not.
A County Council resolution
introduced by Puna
Councilwoman Eileen O’Hara
supporting Creagan’s bill
passed committee unanimously
on Wednesday. O’Hara
also submitted written testimony
to the HHS Committee
in favor of the measure.
Creagan contends the lack
of a trained physician as a
district health officer has
hampered response to disease
outbreaks on Hawaii Island,
such as the dengue fever outbreak
of 2015-16 and several
cases of rat lungworm last
year. He asserted in his bill
that Maui has handled similar
problems more competently
under the guidance of its
DHO, Lorrin Pang, M.D.
“If you have somebody
with boots on the ground
in Hilo who is a physician,
they can push the Health
Department on behalf of the
community,” Creagan said.
“They’re going to stand up
for the Big Island against
the Health Department.”
Creagan went on to
describe DOH as “dysfunctional,”
particularly in regard
to disease outbreaks. He cited
state auditor report 17-14,
which offered a highly critical
By NANCY COOK LAUER
West Hawaii Today
KANUHA
See BILLS Page A4
Exploring careers
See SHUTDOWN Page A4
See DISEASE Page A5
PAUL
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press
Photo courtesy state
Department of Health
Humans can contract rat
lungworm disease by eating
food contaminated with slugs
or snails, or their slime.
Creagan pushes
new positions,
requirements to
combat disease CREAGAN
By MAX DIBLE
West Hawaii Today
/www.hawaiitribune-herald.com