The Senate Committee on Government Operations on March 4, 2025, advised and consented to five gubernatorial nominees for the statewide 911 board, approving candidates who represent police communications centers, telecommunications companies and VoIP providers.

The committee confirmed Matthew Kurihara (Honolulu Police Department), Reed Mahuna (Hawaii Police Department), Rebecca Lieberman (Charter Communications/Spectrum, VoIP representative), Elliot Kalani Kaye (Kauai Police Department) and Francis Aloeta (Hawaiian Telcom). Committee members questioned nominees about NextGen 911 deployment, rural connectivity, staffing and potential conflicts of interest.

Why it matters: The board directs spending from the state’s 911 special fund and guides technical upgrades for public safety answering points (PSAPs). Committee members pressed nominees on training for dispatchers, how NextGen features handle location for VoIP and mobile calls, and whether the board should seek changes to the e911 special fund ceiling.

Matthew Kurihara, a captain in the Honolulu Police Department assigned to communications, said his priorities include coordinating PSAPs and supporting NextGen 911 upgrades. “If we have all this technology but we don't have the staff to manage, then it's not really making it,” Kurihara said, describing recruitment and retention as priorities for the board.

Reed Mahuna, a 27‑year Hawaii Police Department veteran who said he served in emergency operations during recent volcanic events, told the committee the board’s funds have supported a new joint call center on the Big Island. “We will open a brand new joint call center in late April on the Big Island,” Mahuna said, and invited members to tour the facility.

Rebecca Lieberman, who represents VoIP providers as director of government affairs for Charter Communications/Spectrum in Hawaii, described VoIP as “like when you have a landline at home, but it's not connected to copper wires. It's connected to the Internet,” and noted location and texting options differ from traditional landlines. She told senators NextGen is an evolving set of capabilities—texting to 911, video, automatic translation and improved location services—and that the board must prioritize which investments yield the most benefit.

Elliot Kalani Kaye, who said he manages PSAP contracts for the Kauai Police Department, described using 911 board funding to send dispatchers and supervisors to training and conferences: “We are able to provide different types of training for our dispatchers … only able to do it because of the 911 board's funding,” he said.

Francis Aloeta, Hawaiian Telcom’s director of network reliability and a current board member, told the committee he recuses himself from decisions that would pose a commercial conflict for Hawaiian Telcom. “If it has to do with anything that competes with what Hawaiian Telcom offers … I'll recuse myself,” Aloeta said, adding he provides technical guidance otherwise.

Committee members raised several recurring themes. Senators asked whether NextGen 911 deployment will include consistent training across county PSAPs and how the system handles location for VoIP and mobile calls. Members also discussed the e911 special fund ceiling, noting Ways and Means recently raised the fund’s limit; a senator asked whether another increase might be needed. Aloeta and other nominees said the board funds have been used for training, regional redundancy and equipment upgrades. One senator asked whether the board conducts stress testing to simulate overloads; Aloeta said stress testing is under consideration but requires careful coordination to avoid impacting live 911 traffic.

Votes at a glance:
- GM505 Matthew Kurihara, nominee to 911 board (term to 06/30/2028): Committee recommendation to advise and consent; recorded votes—Chair: aye; Senator Moriwaki: aye; outcome adopted.
- GM614 Reed Mahuna, nominee to 911 board (term to 06/30/2028): Committee recommendation to advise and consent; recorded votes—Chair: aye; outcome adopted.
- GM661 Rebecca Lieberman, nominee to 911 board (term to 06/30/2026): Committee recommendation to advise and consent; recorded votes—Chair: aye; outcome adopted.
- GM662 Elliot (Kalani) Kaye, nominee to 911 board (term to 06/30/2028): Committee recommendation to advise and consent; recorded votes—Chair: aye; outcome adopted.
- GM664 Francis Aloeta, nominee to 911 board (term to 06/30/2026): Committee recommendation to advise and consent; recorded votes—Chair: aye; outcome adopted.

Several nominees referenced ongoing or recent events in their testimony: Mahuna cited experience in Hurricane Iselle (2014) and the 2018 Kilauea lava flows and said he served in the Emergency Operations Center during the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption. Kurihara noted Honolulu’s PSAP already supports texting to 911 and is training staff on new vendor software that improves location tracking from phones. Lieberman recommended prioritizing texting and other NextGen functions while acknowledging limited funding means technology choices must be weighed for cost and impact.

The committee also read multiple written letters of support into the record for nominees; Mahuna’s written supporters included county officials and police and civil defense representatives.

The nominations were approved by the committee and will proceed according to legislative process for confirmation. The nominees emphasized training, redundancy and NextGen technical work as near‑term priorities for the board.