Hawaii State Government

...three different scenarios a bill can go through after passing Second Crossover....

A new accounting standard is requiring Hawaii to come clean about its pension debt, but the state is still hiding billions of pension and health care debt from its financial reports....

Bills include heat abatement for schools, crime victims’ rights, body cameras for police, senior care facility inspections, affordable housing, and the Judiciary budget....

Measures include teacher travel exception, water rights, assistance for displaced Maui sugar workers....

On April 14th, the Legislature hit the second crossover deadline of the 2016 legislative session....

The investigative division at the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office relies heavily on retired law enforcement officers hired as temps....

...the Kaho‘olawe Rehabilitation Trust Fund will be depleted by FY2018....

...measures to raise taxes, mandate insurance coverage, increase funding for collective bargaining, establish a special fund, infringe on the constitutional right to bear arms, or further enlarge state government....

...April 8 makes the Second Decking deadline for the 2016 Legislative Session....

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate....

...the Department of the Interior provided approximately $409 million to affected jurisdictions .... In contrast, affected jurisdictions estimated costs of $2.1 billion....

None of the 47 new special and revolving funds proposed during the 2016 legislative session met amended statutory criteria....

...State’s improved financial outlook leads to lower interest rates on refunding general obligation bonds....

...Currently, there is an appointment open with the Elections Commission for Hawaii County....

All bills referred to three or more committees had to be passed through their first committee....

From Hawaii Family Advocates ....

Lassner noted that “The state has had IT facilities challenges for years...."

The House and Senate debated nearly 200 third reading bills each on Tuesday....

Of the lawmakers, only the state’s lone Republican Senator, Sam Slom, divulged the requested information....

...the state of Hawaii paid $538,519.25 of public pension money to people who were deceased....

The Office of Enterprise Technology Services agreed....

Tune in every Monday morning at 7:00 am to KKNE AM 940 on Oahu, broadcasting island-wide! ....

...bills in the 2016 Legislative Session that test the balance between government’s power and the power of the people....

Hawaii's debt levels are high for a U.S. state government, and Fitch expects them to remain so....

All bills under consideration for crossing over to the other chamber must be in their final form 48 hours prior to Third Reading....

This culture of “vote buying” creates a false majority....

We are down to the final week for hearings before bills cross into the other chamber....

...all bills must have moved to a final committee in the originating Chamber by the end of the day Feb 18 in order to continue through the Legislative process....

...serving more than 75,000 full- and part-time employees statewide....

Kahele will take office once the state senate qualifies him and administers the oath of office....

All bills with three or more committee referrals must have passed through their first committee....

The purpose of the 48-hour notice rule is so that the public may participate meaningfully in the legislative process....

...Grassroot Institute Legislative Update....

...the USNS Puerto Rico is the ship being considered by Bay Ferries....

... just when you thought you were seeing a glimmer of leadership ....

...the state’s economy will continue to suffer until the regulatory barriers and crippling tax rates for businesses are removed....

A lawsuit against Petrobras for hiding a bribery scheme for years while selling $98 billion in securities....

...updated with Governor David Ige's 2017 Executive Supplemental Budget released in December 2015, and the Council on Revenues forecast from January 2016....

There were 243 Acts signed into law in 2015; four bills became law without the Governor’s signature. Here are the highlights....

...statewide on-demand channel....

Applications for a vacant position on the State Commission on Water Resource Management are now being accepted for a new term that will begin July 1....

...featuring members of the "We the People" civic club from Kahuku High School....

...Grassroot Institute of Hawaii offered comments before the CPC Committee deferred HB326....

...a planned drop in expenditures that has not been accounted for by any significant cuts....

... Ige will select senator’s successor from Democratic Party nominees ....

ETS is looking to formalize its reorganization of ICSD and OIMT into ETS, as well as expand its team with the addition of up to 31 new positions....

...unfunded liabilities, over-estimated revenues & skyrocketing expenses....

House and Senate Republicans respond to the State of the State Address .... 

Sugar is gone, as are many other aspects of the Hawaii we once knew. In their place, however, there is an exciting new world....