Senator Hirono, therefore, is providing a strategic reminder that fierce advocacy can attract resources back home, even if it clashes with the local preference for subtlety. Which, despite our wish that it was not, is a more effective way to get things done in Washington DC.
If the green fee is passed, it will fund a captive insurance program to mitigate rate increases due to natural disasters, providing better economic security for the people of Hawai‘i. The state could argue that the fee is necessary to preserve and protect its residents amidst a brain drain driven by cost of living increases.