Hawaii lawmakers seek to rename post office after Hanabusa

Hawaii’s congressional delegation is introducing a bill to rename the Waianae Post Office in honor of late U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda introduced the legislation in the U.S. House, while U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate. The joint effort is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, U.S. Rep. Ed Case and a bipartisan coalition.

If approved, the post office at 86-014 Farrington Highway would be renamed the “U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa Post Office Building.” The joint effort aims to honor the life and public service of Hanabusa, a “proud daughter of Waianae” who died on March 6 at the age of 74.

Hanabusa was born and raised in Waianae, where her great-grandparents worked on a sugar plantation and her family later established a service station, Hanabusa Service, in 1948. She grew up working at her family’s gas station before earning her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 1977.

She dedicated her career to Hawaii’s working families, rising from a local labor attorney to being elected the state’s first female Senate President in 2007 and later serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Colleen was a trailblazer and mentor who paved the way for so many,” said Tokuda in a news release. “She brought toughness and integrity to everything she did—from becoming the first woman State Senate president to elevating Hawaii voices in Congress—while never forgetting her roots as a proud daughter of Waianae. Renaming this post office in the heart of her hometown is a fitting tribute to a leader who inspired a generation and dedicated her life to serving our people with deep aloha.”