Small Business

...state and local governments may be breathing a sigh of relief: thanks to this order, the feds have just stepped up to be the defendant in takings lawsuits and to be on the financial hook for any judgments for eviction moratoria (at least in those jurisdictions that have not adopted more protective restrictions)....

...On July 31, 2020, Governor Ige returned SB126 with line item vetoes. Of the $321,000,000 that was struck from the bill the Governor intends to utilize the funding for the following priorities....

...DoH is too busy to respond to the State Auditor and too busy to organize contact tracing because they are working real estate deals on State time with the Board and Care home operators they regulate.  And their union wants them to be paid to 'work' from home again....

...Ige has approved Honolulu’s Emergency Order No. 2020-25, reinstating a “Stay at Home/Work from Home” Order for the island of O‘ahu, effective at 12:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, through September 9....

...Hawaii’s local businesses have taken the economic brunt of stopping the spread of COVID-19....

...Caldwell said at the news briefing that county and state leaders discussed the modified restrictions for O‘ahu over the past five days, trying to decide whether to use a scalpel or a hammer. “We’ve chosen a scalpel,” Caldwell said....

...With the exception of jobs in information technology and other services, no industry category saw a meaningful increase from the devastating April 2020 job numbers....

...employers are likely to be hit with a significant and automatic rate increase at the end of this year....

... more than 16,000 jobs are available across the state. Top positions included retail salesperson, network and systems administrator and security guard ....

...Through July 14, the department has issued $35,980,789 to imposter fraud claimants....

... Measures address harassment in the workplace and domestic violence ....

...which measures changes in employment and employee wages, monthly revenue and revenue sources, current state of operations and plan for trans-Pacific tourism opening, impact of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and business outlook....

...Pass-through businesses, such as sole proprietorships, S corporations, and partnerships, make up a majority of businesses in the United States....

... On March 10, 2020 Maui County passed Bill 22, signing into law Ordinance 5059 that set the Molokai legal, short term rental cap to zero. This, effectively, canceled the operations of 17 families ....

...unemployment insurance and how it is going to fare after the pandemic....

...Another hemp bill, Senate Bill 1353, was vetoed by Governor Ige last year, after he expressed concerns that it was unenforceable. This year’s version was worked on directly with the Governor's administration to ensure its enactment....

...the Hawaii Legislature should not make a dismal situation worse....

...Food Safety Branch will begin to temporarily suspend the operations of restaurants, bars and other food establishments that do not comply.... 

...Hawaii has the broadest sales tax in the United States, but it taxes many products multiple times and, by one estimate, ultimately taxes 105 percent of the state’s personal income.  This base is far wider than the national median, where the sales tax applies to 34.25 percent of personal income....

...The HPUC perceives the underlying problem as YB management’s inability to control costs and operate an effective service....

"...This will allow local shippers and businesses, especially those on the neighbor islands, to conduct business without worrying about a rate increase at this time....”

...Federal Fishery Managers Weigh-In on Marine National Monument draft plans, COVID-19 Impacts to Fisheries and More....

... Results from a national survey of small-business owners released yesterday ....

...Hawaii AirBnB occupancy rates are running far below those of other US destinations....

...another general excise tax exemption that the State Auditor has put under the microscope....

...setting aside some areas where fishing is prohibited....

...the second complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii challenging the governor's coronavirus shut down orders....

...by mid-April, the same Convention Center that was poised to be converted into extra hospital facilities was instead turned into a phone bank facility to handle the influx of unemployment claims....

...caught off guard by another last-minute government switcheroo....

...use of CWAs, also known as project labor agreements, would drastically limit the use of nonunion employees on public projects, thereby reducing competition among bidding contractors and increasing costs for Honolulu taxpayers....

...New report details challenges, needs and potential of Native Hawaiian businesses during and after pandemic....

...City Council to hear union preference 'fixer bill' next Wednesday, June 3....

...The County’s proposed rules and reopening date have been sent to the Governor and Attorney General’s Office for review and approval....

...“Personal Service Providers” would be allowed to resume operations with modifications on Friday, May 29....

... YB is absorbing operating costs for Saltchuck's unregulated services.  This is a standard accounting trick for companies that are partly regulated and partly unregulated ....

...The over 2000-page EIS had been produced by a group of ten West Hawaiʻi aquarium fishers and the National Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, on their proposal to ask the DLNR to issue permits to the ten aquarium fishers....

...approved reopenings for Maui, Kauai, Oahu....

...One way policymakers can help expedite their state’s economic recovery is by protecting employers from facing higher UI tax rates at a time when they can least afford to pay them....

...Mayor Caldwell provides guidelines for resuming in-person spiritual services....

...the State of Emergency is not justified by the numbers.... 

...Hawaii is 9th at 36.6%....

...Malama Meals has provided nearly 350,000 free meals to individuals impacted by the Coronavirus Crisis....

...According to the plan – the state will start to gradually re-open medium-risk businesses and operations beginning in June – assuming the state’s COVID-19 activity remains manageable....

...Leading salon industry panelists demonstrated today in a live online forum hosted by Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, that they are ready to open for business.... 

...It's not too late to sign 'Let Hawaii Work' petition....

...Small Business Relief and Recovery Fund using $25 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding....

...companies indicated difficulty generating sales, and cited customer uncertainty as a primary driver of declining sales volume....

"...Thousands of people in Hawaii are calling upon the governor to 'Let Hawaii Work' again...."

...A Visual Guide to Unemployment Benefit Claims....

...The latest proclamation also allows residents to leave their homes to patronize certain businesses and activities under the new “Safer-at-Home” order....