Hawaii State Government

...the SURF program will integrate core, back office functions including human resources, finance, payroll, acquisition, and more, into a single system....

...Some of the Settling Employees appeared to have accepted free golf on numerous occasions over a period of years....

...a February 2011 class action lawsuit for failure to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits within timeframes outlined by federal law....

...accusing the State of Hawai`i Department of Human Services of denying critically needed treatment for autistic children....

...Connecticut had the next highest administrative costs at $77,000 per mile. Meanwhile in Texas administration costs were less than $4,000 per mile....

...if the State continues to spend at the current rate Hawaii will use up its general fund carryover balances as early as 2016....

...Hawaii.gov was named “Best Government Website” today as part of the Web Marketing Association’s 2014 WebAwards....

...OSHA and HIOSH have shared regulatory responsibility for Hawaii per an Operational Status Agreement that went into effect in September 2012....

...B+ grade in e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government’s (CDG) biennial Digital States Survey. The grade is an improvement from a B- in 2012....

...find your state representative and determine how he or she voted every time the pension tax was up...

...The rejection of the disaster declaration shows the people of Hawaii that Schatz has no influence where it matters most....

The six top-scoring states are Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah....

...Insurance Division also outlined resources and advice for affected families and businesses dealing with their insurance companies....

...Department of Taxation employees were able to answer the phone only 59% of the time in 2013....

...the state’s $126 million hurricane relief fund has nearly run dry after the state Legislature snatched the funds to balance the budget in 2011....

...we have an opportunity to continue the course that we’ve charted. We can’t go back....

Applications should be postmarked no later than Friday, Aug. 29, 2014....

“In 2013, we posted an ending balance of $844 million. We have now posted a positive ending balance of $664.8 million for 2014...."

...Can anything be in worse condition than unfunded government pensions? Unfortunately, yes – and it’s called OPEB....

...50,000 new units needed to be built between 2012 and 2016 to meet demands....

...we identified significant public and private infrastructure projects that are “on the books” over the next 20 years....

Abercrombie called it “a year of progress.” Read through the new laws and decide for yourselves....

...the CLEAR facility is located at UH West Oahu, and that campus testifies that it is okay with scrapping the CLEAR fund....

...Jonathan Scheuer to the Land Use Commission, as well as Rona Fukumoto and Edwin Taira to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation....

...Vernon Char, Ulalia Woodside and Christopher Yuen....

Abercrombie today announced the reappointment of David O’Neal as well as the appointment of Melinda Wood to the State Ethics Commission....

...the administration “performing a $4 billion magic trick”....

...After reviewing 245 measures passed by the 2014 Hawaii State Legislature, Abercrombie today notified legislators of his decision to veto seven bills and to allow six bills to become law without his signature....

individuals looking to serve the public should apply for state board or commission openings that will occur as Senate Bill 2682 takes effect on July 8....

Hawaii seems compelled to pay someone — rather handsomely — to offer such ubiquitous and common-sense advice....

In another first, Gov. Neil Abercrombie today at Hilo Yacht Club enacted measures....

Abercrombie today signed House Bill 2590 (Act 166), a measure that will allow voter registration at absentee polling places beginning in 2016 and late voter registration, including on Election Day, beginning in 2018....

...This is just an example of the "same old, same old," where the Governor and his appointees get to wield power with a distinct lack of public scrutiny....

...he must either veto or sign by July 8, 2014, or allow them to become law without his signature....

“It took 4 years to add 2 lanes to the old 4-lane Kalanianaole Highway while at the same time paving 6 lanes...."

Gov. Neil Abercrombie today signed....

HTDC still relying on carbon paper and typewriters to draft communications with the state, which she says causes more work in the end for her staff....

Both are interim appointments subject to state Senate approval....

On June 13, 2014, the HAWSCT accepted cert in Oahu Publications, Inc., dba The Honolulu Advertiser v. Neil Abercrombie....

Gov. Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of George Okuda to the state House of Representatives seat for District 48....

Since Abercrombie’s tenure as governor, hundreds of millions of dollars that should have been used to repair deteriorating highways and bridges have set untapped....

...Abercrombie today announced the release of more than $46 million for various capital improvement projects....

Senator Slom addresses issues facing Hawaii and our State government....

...something remarkable happened in the last days of our legislative session....

Of the 54 bills harmful to business that were introduced this session that we tracked, 23 bills were stopped....