Puna lawmaker selected for national fellowship

House Rep. Greggor Ilagan (D-Puna) is representing the Aloha State as one of 29 Generation Z and millennial lawmakers across the United States to participate in the Future Caucus Innovation Fellowship Class of 2024.

The nonpartisan Future Caucus cultivates the next generation of national leaders with the skills to build bipartisan coalitions and pass effective legislation, according to a press release.

The inaugural class for this year comprises representatives from 20 states, organized into three distinct cohorts centered around specific policy focuses: Strengthening democracy, energy and environment, and health care, with a particular focus on maternal health and child wellness.

Ilagan has been selected as a Health Care Innovation Fellow within this cohort.

“We are so excited to announce this year’s inaugural class of Innovation Fellows,” Layla Zaidane, president and CEO of Future Caucus, said in the press release. “The 29 young lawmakers selected for this fellowship represent a more promising future for our country, one where the brightest minds can come together, despite partisan differences, and get things done.”

“During the Future Caucus Innovation Fellowship, I plan to use the resources and partnerships within the caucus to develop legislation that alleviates generational poverty in Hawaii by helping strengthen access to healthcare and foster the well-being of mothers and their children,” Ilagan said in the release.

The Innovation Fellowship is part of Future Caucus’ Innovation Lab. Launched in 2023, the Innovation Lab connects the dots between the next generation of legislators and policy experts across political ideologies to support bridge-building on key issues. Legislators have access to a policy library, live briefings, on-demand experts and connections with other young lawmakers across state lines.