Hawaii State Government

... At the beginning of the year, our governor boasted about his efforts to put the state on a “sound financial footing.” What a difference a few months can make ....

...Ige’s deadline to veto bills has passed, so we know which of the bills that made it through this most unusual session will become law....

...The governors zeroed in on two principal drivers of our government’s response, namely structural capability and leadership....

...Meanwhile: Top Three Failure Reward: Former DLIR Director Scott Murakami takes job at DBEDT....

...Gov. Ige vetoes bill limiting “revolving door” between government and lobbyists....

... The Auditor was supposed to start on the first chunk last year and finish the report before the start of the 2020 legislature, but ....

... Lt. Gov. Green plans to continue his duties from his home as long as he’s feeling well ....

... Kokua Council has filed a petition for mandamus with the Supreme Court ....

... The AlertMedia software offers a host of benefits aside from quick and efficient message dissemination.  It also offers message tracking, “geofencing” and weather alerts.  Geofencing, allows the system administrator to encircle an area on a map and transmit messages just to users inside that geographic area ....

...that crisis finally came, and we were unprepared for it....

...Gov. David Ige has notified legislative leaders and key lawmakers of his Intent to Veto the following 6 measures....

... Gov. David Ige announced today that Dr. Bruce Anderson and Director Nolan Espinda will be retiring in September ....

...I’m not the only one trying to dig up information on where the money went....

...The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii says the lack of transparency is ‘eroding public trust in the management of the pandemic’....

"...Through the issuance of a 'no action message,' DFI is not taking any action against these companies...."

...Growing the budget and approving government employee pay raises when Hawaii is running out of money is an unsustainable way to run a state....

...COVID surge prompts HGEA to tell Departments: Limit physical presence at worksites....

...Scott Murakami resigned on Aug. 5 as director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations....

...Betts will replace Pankaj Bhanot who is stepping down as the department’s director for health and family reasons on Aug. 31, 2020....

... Decreased from $230M to 0, the appropriation out of the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund to provide an additional weekly unemployment benefit of $100 per week ....

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

...EPA banned LCCs in 2005....

...Waiving the entire “annual required contribution” or ARC payment to EUTF for this year would save the state about $840 million, according to one official….

...a list of all bills passed during the 2020 session....

... donning rose-colored glasses and approaching the budget shortfall as a temporary setback ....

...to fill the late Sen. Breene Harimoto’s state Senate seat. State Senate District 16 includes Pearl City....

"...The people of Hawaii are facing a dead economy, and thousands are waiting in food lines to feed their families...."

"...The revenue profiles of the state and the city and county are quite different. The state is much more exposed to volatile revenue sources such as general excise tax and transient accommodation tax (TAT)...."

...according to Senator Thielen CARES money was put in the Rainy Day fund so the governor couldn’t touch it....

...Statement of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association and American Lung Association....

...the institute said it "continues to have grave concerns," since "the powers contemplated in this bill are so sweeping and broad as to raise significant questions about privacy, civil liberties and constitutionality."....

...Those seeking to apply, renew, or obtain a duplicate credential can now choose “X” or “Not Specified” in the gender category instead of the binary “M” (Male) or “F” (Female)....

...Laughing at your sacrifice: Senate votes 21-3, House votes 45-4....

...Honolulu lawyers Robert Thomas and Jeff Portnoy address questions that have arisen during the coronavirus shut-down....

...With Hawaii facing its greatest financial crisis in generations, the state Legislature is finally taking action on balloon launches, a “climate innovation technology park” and red light cameras....

...a hard look at the most important limitation on government power in an emergency, the statutory requirement that any emergency proclamation automatically terminates no later than sixty days after it is issued....

...A legislative conference committee today approved a conference draft to Senate Bill 126 that amends the state budget and provides support to critical state services needed during the cononavirus pandemic....

...HB2500 SD1 would allow the state to borrow billions of dollars at a time when revenues are falling and expenses are increasing....

...The plan provides discretion to the Ige Administration to spend the remaining CARES funds to pay for unanticipated and emerging needs....

...A grim financial outlook is on the horizon for the state of Hawaiʻi due to the impact of COVID-19....

...just a few quick clicks and Hawaii went from a $1.4 billion deficit to a modest surplus....

...the augmented unemployment payments have done a fairly good job  preventing the worst from happening so far. But that program is set to expire August 1....

...threw Gov. Ige’s multiyear budget off target by a total of $26 billion between fiscal years 2020 and 2025....

...The Legislature will take up a limited number of bills, including budget matters and COVID-19-related legislation....

...Start working now to adopt a meaningful spending cap....

...Timesheets and leave requests are now transmitted electronically to payroll offices, replacing paper-based manual labor-intensive tracking methods in employee pay calculation....  

...how many times will Hawaii fall for phony High-Tech scamsters?....

...figuring out how to spend $1 billion of federal money that is being made available to Hawaii under the CARES Act....

...no details until after the June 2 deadline to file for election....

...attorney Scott Greenfield suggested proposals like these would raise “a great many curious issues” and “would appear to be outrageously unlawful sex discrimination with some serious likelihood of backfiring.”....