...Weekly Update from GovTrack.us....

...Recently, we have been getting lots of news about our economy here in the islands, and none of it has been good....

...Skydiver's GoPro video taken from within the cabin records a 2016 incident over Byron, CA involving the same skydiving plane which later crashed at Dillingham Airfield, June 21, 2019, killing 11.... 

...Out of Reach documents the significant gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing....

...Honolulu residents spend the 2nd-most for food, 3rd-most as a percentage of income....

...Hawaii’s state and county governments aren’t known for delivering high-quality public services in a cost-efficient manner....

...the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii “quietly chips away at the stone of economic issues in Hawaii”....

... Hawaii taxes distilled spirits at $5.98 per gallon ....

...banning short-term rentals could hurt Hawaii more than people realize....

...The OHA Board today appointed OHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Hussey, Ed.D., as the agency’s interim chief executive officer (CEO) until a new CEO is hired....

...the OHA Board has targeted him for his efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability at OHA....

...The new hearing has been confirmed for the 3rd week of July....

... So that construction of the telescope can begin safely, four unauthorized structures were removed from Mauna Kea earlier this morning by multiple state agencies .... 

"...the original intent of the program was to increase school attendance rates, which the program did...."

...Released today, a State Auditor’s report shows the Convention Center ‘s operating loss has jumped up from an anemic $4.3M in 2017 to a much more robust $8.3M in calendar year 2018....

... Complete Summit schedule ....

...a message to Gabbard: “Good luck running for president, but don't come back to Hawaii.”....

...Between 2008-2017, Hawaii adults over 50 were 2.6 times as likely to be struck and killed while walking compared to people under 50….

...The day after an allegedly corrupt charter school director evaded justice, the AG’s office sent out yet another nationally-themed news release--ironically calling on Congress to do something about … corrupt educational institutions....

...conditions have shown little to no improvements in more recent years, with the state’s rank for this domain slipping from 30 in 2018 to 34 in 2019....

... what was it that Keli'i Akina said? ....

... weekly update from GovTrack.us ....

...“Look. We’ve issued four audit reports on the program...."

...The Organization of Economic Development Cooperation (OECD) recently released a new study of local content requirements for maritime services in the U.S. under the Jones Act....

...nineteen Senators and two Representatives – all Democrats – earned membership in the ‘Coalition of the Radical Left’ by scoring 10% or less.... 

...The guide ranks members of Congress based upon their commitment to conservative principles as demonstrated by their voting records in the 2018 session of Congress....

...in Hawaii, 29% of federal criminal convictions are for white collar crime, second only to New Jersey....

...1,100 homes were removed from the rental market in the first year of the city’s empty-homes tax....

...and Hawaii has the 4th-lowest home ownership rate in USA....

...there is a bill before Gov. David Ige, SB 1292, which he has until June 24 to veto or sign....

...Hawaii taxes wine at $1.38/gallon, 14th highest in USA....

...the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts growth for the U.S. shipbuilding industry in the long term, should the U.S-build requirement of the law be abolished or relaxed....

...I just gave Hawaii the best economic outlook in the country, and all it took was a few mouse clicks....

...lawmakers' plans to crack down on the vacation rental industry may hurt Hawaii's struggling economy....

...“15-seconds of terror,” is how a trespassing Honolulu hiker describes his near miss with a rock-fall incident at the closed Sacred Falls State Park on King Kamehameha Day....

...“There really is no support. You’d think that Hawaii would kind of be the center for immigration issues.  But I guess if it’s deemed a ‘sanctuary city,’ that’s not well-received.”....

...Gov. David Ige signed the following bills on June 7, 2019. Legislative leadership has been notified....

...Suicide deaths rose to the second-highest rate in the country at 15.2 per 100,000 in 2017, the latest data available, from 8.2 per 100,000 in 2005, while alcohol deaths climbed to 5.8 from 3.5 and drug poisonings increased to 13.8 from 9.4....

...Mike announced that his wife and boys would not be able to eat most of what his mother had cooked, as they were now vegetarian. Also, everyone needed to stop calling the children by their birth names. Their new names were Bhakti, Jai, and Naryana....

Today is Kamehameha Day in Hawaii....

...Overwhelming activist and media focus on a small part of the problem leads to confused and misinformed citizens....

...down from 44 elected in 2017....

...the Governor has indicated his discomfort with the bill....

...the Education Institute of Hawaii that wants to see the general ledger for the whole Department of Education....

... meanwhile the State and City keep building Rail in the alleged inundation zone .... 

... Weekly Update from GovTrack.us ....

...proposed rules as they may infringe upon the constitutional rights of individuals seeking to access Mauna Kea....

...Documents filed yesterday in federal court by the ACLU of Hawai‘i reveal that DOE has simply been waiting for two female high school athletes to graduate, hoping the mere fact of their graduation will prevent the girls from being able to proceed with their gender discrimination lawsuit....

...Some Democrats have stood up to Hirono's anti-Catholic rhetoric....

... Hawaii imposes $0.93 tax per gallon of beer ....

... This week, the Honolulu City Council approved an operating budget of $2.8 billion, an increase of 8.8% over last year’s budget and almost $1 million more than the amount proposed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell ....

... was this Crabbe's final attempt at revenge? ....

...The Crabbe-created LLCs must be dissolved, the irregularities in contract awarding must end, and the FBI must be raid the offices now before all the evidences of corruption are destroyed while Crabbe hangs on till the end of the month.... 

...Study concludes that ratepayers are being gouged to the greatest possible degree and no other system could gouge us more effectively without us noticing....

...Scientists use a powerful microbial detection device to show that suggestions of sewage in Kauai’s watershed were mostly false positives....

...373 people who were considered homeless at the time of their deaths have died on O‘ahu from 2014 through 2018....

...91 percent of Honolulu’s Housing First clients came into the program as chronically homeless, and over 60 percent came directly from living on the streets....

...based on several criteria, including crime rates, air quality, housing affordability, entertainment offerings, cultural diversity, and economic vitality....

...Hawaii 39.7% of free-lunch eligible students participate in free breakfast program – 2nd lowest in USA....

...For decades now, the young ones have heard this message loud and clear....

...OHA Board of Trustees approves $6 million for community grants....

... identified as having a “persistent record of poor care” ....

...In Hawaii, opioid deaths, hospitalizations, and treatment services have risen significantly over the last several years....

...low tech, low patents, low innovation....

...Thanks to the ultimate resource: the human mind....

...DOTAX justified the shroud of darkness surrounding its revenue projections with a theory, derived from federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law, called “deliberative process privilege.”....

...Congress was not in session last week but two resolutions were introduced by members of the Hawaii congressional delegation....

...work with Dr. Troy Hutchings to make the Model Code of Ethics for Educators 'appropriate for Hawaii'....

...in Hawaii the dollar has less buying power than in any other state....

...“Unnatural Disaster: Assessing the Jones Act’s Impact on Puerto Rico”....