The late state Sen. Gil Kahele signed three bills from his hospital bed just hours before his Jan. 26 death — each pertaining to issues near and dear to his heart.
Kahele’s son, Kai Kahele, told the Tribune-Herald he read each measure aloud to the Hilo Democrat and took photos of the signings, at his father’s request. About 10 hours later, Kahele died. He suffered several heart attacks the week prior.
“(The night he signed the bills) it was about 7 p.m., everyone’s in the hospital, and I bring the bills to him,” Kai Kahele said. “Everyone (leaves), and he’s kind of in and out, on medication and just closing his eyes, in that very peaceful (state). He tells me, ‘OK, go ahead and read the Kapua bill.’ It’s just me and my dad, he’s quiet, and I read him the full bill in its entirety.”
That Kapua bill, officially titled Senate Bill 3071, calls for the state to purchase land at Kapua Bay, just south of Milolii near where Kahele hailed. The plan would include incorporating the land into the South Kona Wilderness Area, which Kahele helped create.
The measure calls for money from the state’s Transient Accommodations Tax to purchase the land.
“The Kapua bill meant so much to my dad,” Kahele said. “It goes back to the 1980s when he was a community organizer, and Kapua is a very special place for our family.
“Essentially what it does is it allows it to be protected … in its current state for 40-some years. That’s why it was so special for him. It’s not for him. Kapua is for Hawaii — the people of Hawaii.”
Another proposal, Senate Bill 3072, would establish an airport authority under the state Department of Transportation. The idea is to consolidate functions currently spread between multiple agencies and create “one collective voice to promote the modernization of Honolulu airport,” Kai Kahele said.
“Tourism is booming, and we need an airport that can accommodate that,” he said. “So, (my dad) felt an authority would be the best vehicle to do that.”
The final bill, Senate Bill 3073, would appropriate $500,000 to help kick-start a college of aeronautical science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Kai Kahele is a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and said his father was a staunch supporter of an aviation college.
Campus spokesman Jerry Chang told the Tribune-Herald that the senator had been “shepherding and advocating” the new program for many years.
“(Kahele) knew there are many students in Hawaii who want to be pilots but don’t have the opportunity,” Chang said. “If you want to get a pilot’s license now, you have to go to the mainland, which is an added expense. (The program) is also an economic opportunity for our university and community because there are a lot of retiring pilots in Asia who need to be replaced and this would be the perfect place for them to get trained.”
All three bills have had a first reading. Kahele knew personally signing them would boost support, his son said. In all, the bills each have more than 20 co-signers.
“On Saturday (Jan. 23), he had another major heart attack, and that took a lot of wind out of his sails and our sails, too,” Kai Kahele said. “That was the first time we started to realize his days might be numbered. His demeanor changed after Saturday … when I read him the Kapua bill, and he closed his eyes, listened to the words, and what it would mean for future generations, he had to sign the bill.
“Today, if you punch it in, it will say, ‘Introduced by Senator Kahele.’ And it wouldn’t have been that way otherwise. It was arguably one of his last dying wishes.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
