Entries for 'News Release'

The pension plans sponsored by states and municipalities will place a substantial burden on state and local public finances in the near future. My recent work has estimated that the present value of already-promised state pension benefits is over $5 trillion when the benefit payments are discounted using Treasury yields, compared to a little over $2 trillion in pension fund assets. Most state constitutions offer special protections to pension benefits that state workers have already earned.

This analysis raises the question of how soon such a situation might lead to an all-out state and municipal fiscal crisis. One important day of reckoning is the day that the state pension funds run out of money. At that point, pension payments to retirees will have to come out of general revenues. This day of reckoning is in fact not as far away as some might imagine. For Illinois, it could be as soon as 2018.  (For Hawaii it is 2020.)

The undersea interisland cable is one component of the Interisland Wind Initiative, which includes the development of wind farms in Maui County, the development of the undersea cable, and the utility infrastructure upgrades that would allow the integration of a renewable energy electrical grid. 

RepCharlesDjou — June 10, 2010 — Congressman Djou gave the following speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives discussing the nation's fiscal situation and the need for a budget that puts our nation's fiscal house in order.

The seminar also provided potential investors with detailed information on how Chinese students can enroll in local educational institutions, how to retire in Hawai‘i and buy a place to live, and business opportunities in areas such as medical clinics, golf and tennis facilities, and retailing.

In her remarks, Governor Lingle noted that Hawai‘i can serve as an entry point for the U.S. mainland and is an excellent location for a headquarters operation for Chinese companies because of our language and cultural ties, as well as being a safe place to do business and live.

HONOLULU – Top women leaders from seven nations will gather in Honolulu, Hawai‘i this fall to share their personal and professional stories at the 7^th annual International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC).  Hosted by Governor Linda Lingle on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Sheraton Waikīkī Hotel and Resort, the conference will build on the success and growth of the past six years.

Online conference registration is now available at www.hawaiiwomensconference.com.

HONOLULU -- The State Commission on Water Resource Management (Commission) issued its final decision and order in the contested case to set interim instream flow standards for four west Maui streams –Waihe‘e, Waiehu, ‘Iao and Waikapu -- known together as “Na Wai ‘Eha.”

Washington- The nation’s chief economist warned yesterday that America’s fiscal path is unsustainable and called for swift action to manage a growing national debt crisis, but Democrat candidate Colleen Hanabusa's Washington friends still refuse to do the necessary work to lead the country back to fiscal stability. While Democrats still refuse to create a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified to the House Budget Committee yesterday that it’s time for Congress to act....

Honolulu, Hawaii—June 8, 2010—The Hawaii Meth Project today announced the second wave of its public education campaign, unveiling a new series of television, radio, online, and outdoor advertisements that will launch statewide this week. The high impact campaign will reach Hawaii teens three to five times per week throughout 2010 with four television commercials, nine radio spots, and six print and online ads that graphically communicate the risks of using Meth.

Today the Governor is in Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, where she will address Chinese business executives at the “Experience Hawai‘i – A Place for Vacation, Education and Business” forum sponsored by Bank of Hawai‘i.  Governor Lingle will also participate in an “Invest in Hawai‘i” seminar coordinated by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.  The seminar is designed to provide potential investors with information on Hawai‘i’s economic outlook and investment climate, as well as the “State’s EB-5 Immigrant Investment Program” in which foreign nationals who invest $500,000 or more in Hawai‘i and create 10 or more full-time jobs can obtain permanent residency. 

“Charles Djou built his career fighting for limited government and against raising taxes.  In his first major act as Djou's replacement on the City Council, Lee Donohue voted to dramatically expand government spending and increase taxes.  Councilmember Donohue's votes are so typical of politics as usual in Hawai'i and a perfect example of how unique, important and needed Congressman Djou's voice is in our government."

Rep. Djou: Second series of questions, Dr. Bernanke, and that is I have been frustrated and disappointed that there have been a number of free trade agreements languishing in Congress. Do you believe that were the Congress to pass free trade or expansion of free trade, it would help the economy?

Bernanke: Yes I do. I think we need to be part of the globalized economy, I think trade is an important source of demand for our goods and also a source of materials and imports as well. So I think that generally speaking, you ought to push forward on the DOHA round and on the free trade agreements that we’re looking at.

Congressman Djou was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last month after seven and a half years on the City Council. To date, Lee Donohue has never spoken to Congressman Djou on issues concerning the council district, or any other matter since retiring as police chief nearly six years ago. 

Washington Democrats continue to push forward with their reckless spending agenda. Just last week, they passed another spending bill that will increase the deficit by an additional $57.4 billion. Now, economists are warning that an additional one million jobs are at stake and that the country is venturing on an unsustainable path. Instead of creating a budget to address the country’s economic crisis, Hanabusa's would-be Democrat colleagues continue to push full-speed ahead with their runaway spending.

HONOLULU — Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr., as acting governor, today vetoed Senate Bill 2401, which would have suspended the Act 221 investment and infrastructure renovation tax credits for three years....

“This bill would damage Hawai‘i’s reputation as a place to do business,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “It will discourage individuals and companies from investing in our state by changing the rules with little notice or rationale.”

We, the undersigned, call upon those seeking to represent us in public office to sign the Contract from America and by doing so commit to support each of its agenda items, work to bring each agenda item to a vote during the first year, and pledge to advocate on behalf of individual liberty, limited government, and economic freedom....

HONOLULU — Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr., as acting governor, today signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 2441, making it a felony to harm a Hawaiian monk seal, which is on the federal endangered list....

Numerous environmental groups testified in support of this measure, including the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Humane Society, Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team, Conservation Council of Hawai‘i, Save our Seals, Animal Rights Hawai‘i, Audubon Society, KAHEA-Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, Ocean Law and Policy Institute, Earthjustice, and Maui Tomorrow.

Eighty-five pieces of testimony from individuals were submitted in support of SB 2441, which had no opposition.

Today (Tuesday in China) is “Hawai‘i Day” at the USA Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.  Governor Linda Lingle, legislative leaders, representatives from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the visitor industry and entertainers will officially kick off “Hawai‘i Week” at the Expo.  The Expo is expected to attract more than 70 million visitors, 86 percent of whom will come from China.

Yesterday (Monday in China), Governor Lingle spoke to over 300 members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AMCHAM) at its Distinguished Speakers Series.  The Governor covered a wide range of topics including Hawai‘i's progress in promoting clean energy, the status of direct flights from China to Honolulu, and the steps her Administration has taken to improve travel visa issuance procedures with the assistance of U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman.

Duke Aiona at Gina’s BBQ in Honolulu

“Hawaii needs legislators that understand that the States created the Federal Government and that the Tenth Amendment exists to ensure that Hawaii is run by the people of Hawaii and not entrenched politicians half a world away. Hawaii needs leadership to say that we will not give up our state sovereignty and individual liberty for a few dollars more and courage to make hard decisions like cutting taxes and admitting that government shouldn’t be responsible for every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave."

“This is a great day for East Honolulu,” said Rep. Ward.  “In the beginning, we were told that such a reclassification couldn’t be done due to a lack of resources and time, plus it hadn’t been done anywhere for more than a decade.  But we all worked together as a community with the Governor’s office and now the preservation of the Ka Iwi coast has become a reality.”

This weekend, however, the forces who want Hawaii's government to maintain the failed status quo consolidated their opposition to our campaign at the Democrat Party convention.  This is not unexpected. We never thought the establishment would simply give up without a fight - they have too much to lose.

I personally wish Ed Case well.  However, with Ed gone from this race, we are alone in being the voice for the mainstream across Hawaii. I look forward to this critical fight for Hawaii's families against entrenched special interests.

Washington- A temporary boost in government hiring has padded jobs numbers for the month of May, but the 9.7 percent unemployment rate belies just how badly the runaway spending agenda pushed by Colleen Hanabusa’s Democrat friends has failed Hawaii families. The spike in jobs is simply a reflection of over 410,000 new census workers being added to the government’s payrolls at the taxpayers’ expense.

Congressman Charles K. Djou (R-HI) reacted to the Honolulu City Council Executive Matters and Legal Affairs ("EMLA") Committee's recommendation of attorney and former HCDA Chair, Jonathan Lai, to succeed him on the City Council.

Case: "Hanabusa has to understand the deep disillusionment and frustration that many of us of any political party or no political party feel in the system of politics in Hawaii today and in our country. We don't want power to be trumping principle and people. We don't want division, we want unity. We don't want extremism, we want consensus. We don't want exclusion, we want inclusion. And those are the things that we all want desperately." 

(In other words, she has to stop being Colleen Hanabusa.)

The Governor’s order establishes the Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Reserve, which includes surf breaks bounded by the Ala Wai and the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium, as well as the North Shore Surfing Reserve, which includes surf breaks from Ali‘i Beach in Hale‘iwa to Sunset Beach.  Both surf reserves are located off the waters of O‘ahu. 

HONOLULU—Today the Democratic Party of Hawai’i held its State Convention and clearly displayed that they are out of touch with the people of Hawai’i.  Instead of addressing issues of importance to the people of Hawai’i, they focused on passing resolutions supporting physician assisted suicide, gay civil unions and increasing taxes on people who grow the economy and create jobs. 

HONOLULU 5-27-10 – Governor Linda Lingle today announced that the State has advanced more than $1.8 billion in capital improvement projects (CIP) statewide, exceeding the original goal of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s plan launched in December 2008 to accelerate public infrastructure construction as part of a comprehensive effort to stimulate the economy and create jobs.  Over the past 17 months, the State has successfully opened bids for, awarded contracts for or started construction on 827 capital improvement projects totaling $1,851,513,340.

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii (USAG-HI) will hold a Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at 9 a.m., May 31, at the Schofield Barracks Post Cemetery. The public is invited to join the garrison as it honors Soldiers who gave their lives in service of our country.

Non-profits interested in participating in the program and receiving free help for their organization can attend an informational briefing at the Hawai‘i State Capitol Auditorium on Tuesday, June 1 from 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Lt. Governor Aiona, DLIR Director Darwin Ching and DHS Director Lillian Koller will provide information on the program, answer questions and assistance with filling out worksite applications.

Young people, ages 14 through 23, who are interested in the program should apply as soon as possible at their nearest DLIR Workforce Development Division Office. 

The Commission’s decision also strongly emphasized responsible management of public trust resources.  The Commission ordered Maui County to begin construction within three years to fix the extremely leaky Waikamoi Flume to eliminate waste and provide a more reliable water source for Upcountry domestic and agricultural uses.  Commissioners stated that Maui County needs to develop alternative water sources, conservation and reclamation for water supplies.  Maui County relies upon stream water for approximately 85 percent of its water needs for the Upcountry system.  Due to long-term drought, this is a precarious position for the people of Maui and the County needs to shift the balance of water supply to more reliable sources that do not come at the expense of Hawaii's resources and downstream users of these same waters.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Charles Djou (HI-01) received two key committee assignments today on the important House Budget and Armed Services Committees as he begins serving Hawaii's First Congressional District. Congressman Djou issued the following statements . . . .

"In the same move of removing restraint on one end of the charter school pipeline, this legislation effectively places a new constraint on the other end, which ultimately lessens the funding available for charters.  Especially as the number of charters continues to grow, charter schools will unfortunately see fewer and fewer dollars available."

For several months now he has been campaigning for Governor and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for his run for Governor while at the same time receiving full salary from Honolulu taxpayers.  This is clearly not in the best interest of Oahu.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today announced that Darwin Ching has resigned as director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR).  Ching, who has served as director since August 2007, resigned his position in preparation for his campaign to run for Honolulu City Prosecutor. His last day as director will be June 15. 

“I appreciate Darwin’s leadership as labor director,” said Governor Lingle.  “During his tenure, Darwin was instrumental in assisting thousands of Hawai‘i’s workers who lost their jobs as the global recession impacted our state.  Throughout this challenging economic period, Darwin and his team remained focused on ensuring the well-being of Hawai‘i’s workers while helping to create new jobs for our residents.  I wish him well in his future pursuits.”

The Hawaii Legislature is disenfranchising thousands of Hawaii’s voters who have consistently lobbied the Legislature in large numbers against HB444 for the past 2 years.

"I look forward to putting my support for Hawai`i's working families and small businesses against (Hannemann's) record of raising taxes and increasing the cost of living for our residents on O`ahu.

"Hawai`i can't afford him."

“As the country faces a looming fiscal crisis, it’s time to finally do something about Washington’s out-of-control spending.  A balanced budget amendment will force Congress to take a serious look at its priorities and find a solution rather than handing the problem to future generations."

“We are pleased that we are able to get refunds out to tax filers,” said Governor Lingle.  “We are able to issue the refunds at this time because of higher than expected tax collections, which is an encouraging sign that our economy is beginning to recover.  I want to again thank Hawai‘i taxpayers for their patience and understanding as we continue to work to address our budget shortfall, while setting the foundation for a stronger economic future.”

Governor Lingle announced on Monday, May 17 that the State would immediately begin issuing state income tax refunds that were processed during the months of January and February.  She made the decision after tax revenue collections for the first 10 months of the current fiscal year came in higher expected. 

Hawaii will hold the latest primary in the nation on September 18th. And just because only one Democrat will emerge to face Djou on that date doesn’t mean Hawaii Democrats’ civil war will end. In fact, the finger-pointing taking place in local Democratic circles could produce an even larger, more fractured field of candidates in the primary, leaving Democrats with little time to repair bruised egos and allowing Djou to stay far above the fray as the fall campaign season begins. Only one Republican holds a more Democratic seat than Djou, and Djou will be a top target, but Democrats have their work cut out for them. President Bush’s 47 percent share here in 2004 and GOP Gov. Linda Lingle’s big majorities in 2002 and 2006 show that HI-01 is open to voting for the right kind of Republican, especially when Democrats are a mess.

"We achieved a comprehensive solution because everyone brought something to the table and cooler heads prevailed for the sake of our children."

The agreement was made possible due to a unique three-way public-private partnership between the State, teachers and the major banks in Hawai‘i.   The plan calls for use of $57.2 million from the Hurricane Relief Fund, $2.2 million in federal funds, and six planning days the teachers have agreed to give back to the state. A $10 million line of credit from local banks is also available if needed.

“I am happy to announce that furloughs are over and children will be able to return to the classroom for the entire upcoming school year.  We have been able to do this without laying off teachers, increasing the size of classes, raising taxes, or adversely impacting the State budget,” Governor Lingle said.  “I am particularly proud that the major banks in our state stepped up and offered a line of credit that will give the Department of Education access to additional funds, if needed, to help end the furloughs.”

Colleen's goal, as confirmed election night by her campaign manager, was not to beat Charles but to finish second.

IWV determined to engage with an Electioneering Communication designed to inform voters of three key data points:

• First, that Case had voted 72 times for higher taxes IWV Report on Hawaii 1 Special Election GEB International Inc. during his four-year tenure representing Hawaii’s Second Congressional District;
• second, that Case had received three “F” ratings from the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union; and,
• third, that Case had recently hired indicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagjojevich’s political consultant, better known to the FBI as “Advisor B” on their surveillance tapes of Blagojevich — and that this advisor had counseled the disgraced former governor to try to swap Barack Obama’s Senate seat.

Today, the people of Hawaii have sent a message to our Congress that we will not sit idly by and watch our great Nation stripped of its best by burdensome debt and wasteful government spending.  We sent a message that we need our government to focus on creating jobs and making life better for all of us.

Hawaii stood up to the old boy network tonight and elected a Member of Congress that will be accountable to the people and will put Hawaii’s interests first. I am eager to start working with the people of Hawaii to restore confidence in our nation and our government.”

HONOLULU, May 18, 2010 – Christopher J. Wong, small business owner and non-profit advocate announced his candidacy for the City Council tonight at the Mandalay Restaurant in downtown Honolulu. In attendance to this intimate event were Chris Wong Campaign Committee Honorary Chair, Oswald K. Stender; publisher of Hawai‘i’s Most Wanted magazine and Committee Chair Mary Jean Castillo-Barkley; business leaders and elected officials in support of his candidacy.

PA‘IA, MAUI – The State Commission on Water Resource Management will hold a meeting on Tuesday, May 25, in Pa‘ia, Maui, to hear public testimony and decide on a petition to amend the interim instream flow standards for 19 east Maui streams: Waikamoi, Alo, Wahinepe‘e, Puohokamoa, Haipua‘ena, Punalau, Honomanu, Nua‘ailua, ‘Ohi‘a, West Wailuaiki, East Wailuaiki, Kopili‘ula, Puaka‘a, Waiohue, Pa‘akea, Wai‘a‘aka, Kapa‘ula, Hanawi, and Makapipi.

Charles Djou Election Night Party

When:  Saturday, May 22, 2010, 4:30pm-7:30pm

Where: Hawai'i Republican Party Headquarters