Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – GOVERNOR DAVID IGE'S 2022 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Press release from Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige:

Jan 24, 2022

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

GOVERNOR DAVID Y. IGE

TO THE THIRTY-FIRST STATE LEGISLATURE

MEETING IN JOINT SESSION, JANUARY 24, 2022

Good morning and aloha.

Before I begin —

In normal times we would gather together in the House Chambers for the State of the

State address.

We would have family, friends, former Governors, and community leaders here, and have opportunities to acknowledge and thank the many people who have helped us along the way.

Because of the pandemic, they cannot be here in person.

But I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for their partnership during this crisis.

All of them answered the call to serve the people of Hawaiʻi:

Speaker Scott Saiki, Chair Syliva Luke and all the members of the House;

Senate President Ron Kouchi, Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and all the members of the Senate;

First Lady Dawn Amano Ige, Lt. Governor Josh Green, Dr. Libby Char and all the members of my cabinet; and

Mayors Rick Blangiardi, Mitch Roth, Mike Victorino and Derek Kawakami, and former Mayors Kirk Caldwell and Harry Kim.

I also want to thank the business community: the visitor industry, including hotels,

airlines and attractions; the Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association; the Business Roundtable

and the chambers of commerce; and

Our nonprofit partners who delivered help and services to support so many in need.

And there are so many others, too many to name.

Please know that all of your efforts are very much appreciated.

We’ve endured tremendous hardship over the last two years —

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve sacrificed, delayed, or canceled so many of life’s cherished milestones: weddings and graduations; first birthdays and holiday gatherings.

This press release was produced by Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige. The views expressed here are the author’s own.