Hawaii State Government

...Last week was cross over, 524 Senate Bills and 498 House Bill passed third reading in their respective chambers....

...As the 2019 Legislative Session nears its crossover deadline this week, the House of Representatives has passed nearly 500 bills....

...important legislation relating to government data and information and technology strategy remain in play, with some bills already crossing over to the other house....

...Crossover is the deadline for bills to pass third reading in order to move (or “crossover”) to the other chamber....

...Multiple bills heard this session have revolved around encouraging residents to save. The details vary, but there’s a common theme: The state wants to be your local bank....

...your testimony is needed....

...the program’s requirement that investments must “substantially improve” zone property in order to qualify for tax breaks is quite loose....

...These measures will move to a full vote on the House floor....

...Legislative Hearings Week 5....

...The auditor found that they have lots of money lying around. More than $120 million in accounts that haven’t been even touched for five years....

...Data, strategic planning bills critical to transforming state government....

...Ige has appointed Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser chairperson of the Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture.  Former Chair Denise Albano resigned for personal reasons on January 29, 2019....

...The Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs has arbitrarily decided to not accept testimony submitted to it via e-mail....

...Legislative Hearings Week 4....

...Legislative Hearings Week 3....

...The terms will run from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2023....

...Notably, the draft policy excludes the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, which rendered the Souki decision last year....

...The recommendations not implemented are the ones where DHS actually has to go out and catch fraudsters, instead of just talking about it....

...It is up to us to voice concerns and to make our voice heard.... 

...three revolving funds, and one trust fund with remaining balances which total approximately $120 million as of June 30, 2018, had no financial activity during our (5 year) review period....

...Local rules that conflict with national ones threaten the growth of the entire U.S. drone industry....

...How to resolve Hawaii’s public pension debt crisis....

..."It legitimizes a practice born in smoke-filled rooms, out of the public's eye and is an insult to the openness we brag about in the Hawaii State Legislature."....

...The ultimate goal of performance-based budgeting is to have every state agency justify discretionary funds they receive for each two-year budget cycle. Eventually, zero-based budgeting will analyze the entire budget of programs....

...co-conveners for 2019 Senators Rosalyn H. Baker and Laura H. Thielen and Representatives Lauren Matsumoto and Linda Ichiyama....

"...The state of the State of Hawaii is sound...."

...Public agencies tend to delay or not perform preventive and predictive maintenance. Lack of preventive maintenance of assets of any type leads to deterioration that only accelerates as the maintenance is put off....

...HDoT, DAGS, DLIR, B&F, PSD.....

...A press release announcing McCartney’s appointment Wednesday morning made no mention of the dual roles for Fuchigami....

...We will be faithful and committed to the needs of the people of Hawai‘i, and to the agenda that you set out as the Majority – but we ask that your agenda conform to the generally accepted principals of free markets, free people void of government shackles, and greater prosperity for all the people of Hawai‘i....

...Today, we examine “zero-based budgeting,” an idea that has been around for a while but was recently championed by House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke....  

...The Volker Alliance gave states grades of A to D-minus, the lowest possible mark, for their practices in five areas that are the building blocks of budgeting nationwide....

Among conditions for the buyers of these “ALOHA homes”....

...Which States Rely the Most on Federal Aid?....

...The economic boom of the last few years allowed them to continue spending at high levels, and many of them would like to keep it that way....

...On the first pay date of the year on Jan. 4, 2019, the PeopleSoft Payroll system issued 70,771 payments to 66,182 employees, as there are individuals issued pay for multiple positions....

...tens of millions of dollars for modernization within nearly every department....

...BUF, DAGS, DLIR....

...Jay Griffin becomes PUC chair immediately....

...HDOT, DoTAX, DHRD, DOH, DHS, DLNR, DCCA, PSD, DHHL, ETS, DoD....

...the Foundation and DAGS have implemented 16 and partially implemented 7 of the 29 recommendations. Six recommendations have not been implemented....

... the agencies are supposed to come up with a “variance report” that is supposed to list how much they were budgeted, how much was spent, and a narrative explanation for any significant difference ....

...Connors was nominated to the Federal District Court by Obama, but the Senate did not vote and the nomination lapsed when Obama's term ended....

...DCCA Director Catherine P. Awakuni Colón has named Colin M. Hayashida as insurance commissioner for the State of Hawaii. The appointment was effective January 1, 2019....

...a series of Informational Briefings in January to hear testimony and review requests for the state budget from governmental agencies....

...DLNR needs to understand that the money in these funds isn’t “their” money. It’s taxpayer money....

...Submit an online application to the Office of the Governor, Boards and Commissions, and learn more about how you can make an impact serving on the Commission....

...the state still spent about $2 billion more than it generated in fiscal year 2018, and its overall net position dropped by $718.4 million dollars over the course of the fiscal year, in spite of a $326 million increase in revenue generated mostly by airport and harbor fees....

...The deadline to submit grant applications is 4:30 p.m. January 18, 2019....

...The following senators will take on the leadership roles for the Thirtieth Legislative Biennium 2019 through 2020....