Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'

...the FTA has signaled its lack of faith in the project by withholding federal funds absent a recovery plan and setting a Nov. 20 deadline for the city to come up with $44 million — the initial payment on a $214 million obligation to HART....

...Out-of-the-box thinking for Hawaii's future....

...I am still deeply concerned about the amount of time it has taken to begin this audit....

...state policymakers are willing to commit to payments on the unfunded liabilities, but haven’t done much to curb the excessive spending practices that have led us to this point....

...advocates of the so-called education tax have been strangely quiet about how much it will be....

What’s in a title? If you’re a member of the Hawaii Legislature, opportunity....

...The best laid plans, we are told, often go awry ... “Especially when it comes to politicians counting on revenue from tax hikes.”....

...After months of delay, OHA and its LLCs will be audited for fraud, waste and abuse....

...on August 11, of 286,041 ballots submitted, 41.3% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee Oahu seats, and 49.6% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee At-large seat....

...In Hawaii, we are now looking at one of the most popular of all tax solutions: passing the costs to a nebulous “other.”....

...Following a career in the U.S. Air Force and then in the tech industry, Steve Lipscomb decided to throw his hat into the rink and run in the Hawaii Republican primary for Lt. Governor....

...The real value of $100 in Hawaii is $84.46. That’s less than it was in 2016, when the real value was $85.62....

...talk of “recovery plans,” new bonds and property tax dollars allocated to rail inevitably raises the spectre of new rail taxes....

...OHA Trustee Peter Apo speaks out boldly and reflectively on several hot potato issues, including audits and management of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs....

...This is why I am adamant about making sure OHA is audited thoroughly and its internal policies revised....

... what works, what doesn’t, and what might help Hawaii move out of its position as one of the nation’s worst “sinkhole states” ....

...What are the interests propping up this archaic legislation?....

...Rare insights into the problem of and solution to the bottleneck at Hawaiian Homelands....

...OIRA asked the public to weigh in on how regulations in the maritime sector could be modified or repealed to remove unnecessary burdens, increase efficiency or simplify compliance....

...there is one set of maritime regulations and laws that costs consumers and businesses millions of dollars every year....

Government employee unions around the country are grappling with the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME....

...Keli'i believes Sam is the candidate who will unite Hawaiians and reform OHA....

...To date, HART officials have not publicly explained why it has been recording the meetings between the auditor and HART employees....

...After over a year of endless delays and obstacles, the independent audit has not even started....

...On Wednesday, the Court handed down its decision in Janus v. AFSCME....

...What do volcanoes, trade wars, and housing bubbles have to do with each other? These are just a few of the economic topics with which many of Hawaii's policymakers are woefully unfamiliar....

...On Thursday, he introduced a bill that would even the playing field for taxis, to help bring their business model into the 21st century....

...The Grassroot Institute recently obtained a letter written by HART board member John Henry Felix to HART Chairman Damien Kim in which he also urged the board to call for a forensic audit....

...Hawaii does not perform well on the annual EFNA Index, ranking 45th out of the 50 states in terms of economic freedom....

...how the state government’s housing policies have gone up in flames....

...Regulating Paradise: Land Use Controls in Hawaii....

...Hawaii’s Legislature did not approve a higher minimum wage this year....

...Myth 1: It doesn't matter how the money was spent, as long as it was spent on Hawaiians....

...Saiki said that after passing last year’s rail tax hike, he feels like “the Legislature can do anything.”....

...look at how transparency goes by the wayside at the end of the session....

...OHA Administration was tasked with reporting back on the feasibility and timing of such a plan by June 30....

...In the latest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” Hawaii ranked 45th overall. One of the biggest reasons for that low ranking was Hawaii’s high level of taxation....

...At a time when many advocates of education reform are promoting greater local involvement in schools, Hawaii appears to be moving in the opposite direction....

...There are currently three different bills still alive that would require local companies to give all employees paid sick leaves: HB 1727, HB 2598 and SB 2990 ....

...Findings made by the State Auditor regarding financial impropriety at OHA echo findings made in the investigation of Bishop Estate....

......HB1768 would disclose salary information about government workers in the form of ranges, as opposed to exact compensation....

...For years, it was conventional wisdom that as tax-happy as the Hawaii Legislature might be, it still would avoid raising taxes in an election year....

...Caldwell wants the city to use $44 million of bond debt to pay for administrative costs related to construction of the city’s planned 20-mile rail system....

...There is much more that needs to be examined, and that will be the purpose of the upcoming independent audit....

...Will Hawaii’s public unions lose power if their membership dues become voluntary under a pending Supreme Court ruling in the case known as Janus v. AFSCME?....

...Hawaii takes the longest in the nation to make decisions about transparency disputes....

"...As fiduciaries, Trustees must act immediately...."

...why did LNG that arrived in Boston at the end of January come from Russia — and in violation of Obama-era sanctions against Russia?....

...SB2291 would raise the minimum wage in Hawaii to $15 an hour by 2020....

...a decision by the court’s nine justices that state employees can't be required to pay union dues could lead to some interesting outcomes in Hawaii....