Feel rich? Average Hawaii Resident needs to pony up $40K to pay off state debt
"Rich States" Also Have Debts -- Hawaii Ranks #5
Rail Burns Thru $256M in 12 months with no Construction
UHERO: Furlough Fridays = Less Juvenile Crime
E-RAT-icate: Cost-effectiveness of Eradication vs. Control
VIDEO: Aegis Ballistic Missile Intercept off Kauai
Tentative HGEA deal on Special Session Agenda: Adds $276M to state's price tag
SA: A new four-year pact with the Hawaii Government Employees Association's professional and scientific workers will cost the state an additional $276 million, the Abercrombie administration estimates.
The tentative agreement with the unit's 8,100 state and county workers, which has yet to be ratified by the union, calls for roughly 11 percent pay raises and step adjustments. Workers would also pay 40 percent of their health insurance premiums, down from 50 percent. The cost estimate covers only the state's portion of the new contract.
Kalbert Young, the state's budget director, said the administration would recommend that state lawmakers agree to finance the deal — if it is ratified — when they meet later this month in a special session to consider a gay-marriage bill. Lawmakers have the option of waiting until the next regular session in January, but if they do act in special session, workers would get pay raises sooner.
read ... $276M
Slom: Lawsuit May Seek to Block Special Session
HNN: He believes the passionate reaction from both sides will continue to rise in the coming weeks.
"A lot of things are brewing behind the scenes. There may even be the possibility of a lawsuit or an injunction to try to stop this," Slom explained.
He says public feedback is critical in determining how lawmakers will vote.
"They've got it in the Senate. There are maybe five people that are going to be voting against it – I'm one of those five. But in the House, it is close. We're talking about a vote or two, but things can change as constituents continue to call," explained Slom ....
Slom agrees public input is important, but says there's a better way to settle the question of whether to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawai'i.
"The easiest thing on something like this? Put it to a public vote. Let the public vote up or down, and I'm perfectly willing—even if it's not my position. Let the people do that," Slom said.
read ... Injunction Coming?
Awana Resigns Leadership Position
HNN: Just one day after an exclusive report we first brought to you Thursday, State Rep. Karen Awana submitted her resignation as Hawaii House of Representatives Majority Floor Leader.
The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission filed a complaint alleging Awana's campaign had 50 unaccounted purchases since 2011, resulting in $8,590 in fines....
SA: The commission has previously issued fines of $400, $6,800 and $1,900 against Awana
CB: Hawaii Rep. Awana Resigns From House Leadership Position
read ... B-Bye
Shutdown: Hanabusa, Gabbard Vote to Starve Women, Children -- Refuse to Fund FEMA
CB: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved temporary funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children, known as WIC.
But not a single Democrat voted for the measures, including Hawaii Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard.
HNN: Federal workers in Hawaii stress about paychecks
read ... Better Hope There's Not a Hurricane
HECO Running out of Circuits: "Near Total Work Stoppage"
SA: Despite mass adoption of both residential and commercial solar systems, there is an increasing pattern of lengthy delays on the part of Hawaiian Electric Co. to provide the required "notice to proceed," according to Mark Duda a principal of RevoluSun. I have received similar reports from several other leaders in the solar industry.
The situation has become a source of frustration for customers who followed all of HECO's rules and now simply want to interconnect systems they have purchased. It presents even more of a challenge for solar contractors who are now suffering the cash-flow effects of unplanned business interruptions hitting at the busiest time of the year.
"There is now a near total work stoppage happening at a time that inflicts maximum damage on our industry," said Brad Albert, founder of Rising Sun Solar, which installs PV systems statewide, "It's the equivalent of forcing Toys R Us not to operate between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then adding insult to injury by telling them not to worry because everything will be OK by Easter."
Last month HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg said rule changes will enable more small solar systems to be added to the grids without requiring as many interconnection studies....
read ... Delay in solar approvals
Council Overrides Mayor's Veto, Property Tax Hike Hits Hundreds on Maui
MN: Changes made to the circuit breaker property tax program earlier this year meant to stop wealthy property owners from abusing the tax credit and "cheating the system" will also have severe, unintended consequences for longtime homeowners and kupuna, residents said at a Maui County Council meeting Friday.
"We acknowledge that we should all be deeply concerned about those individuals who threaten to cheat the benefits from the taxpayers and they should be ferreted out, but we condemn the callous gutting of the circuit breaker tax credit," William Tavares, co-chairman of the Committee for More Equitable Taxation, said in public testimony. "It's denying hundreds of people from benefitting from the credit in these frightening economic times."....
Council Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Mike White drafted a bill in August 2012 that revised the way adjusted gross income would be determined.
The measure initially passed through the council unanimously, but Mayor Alan Arakawa vetoed it. He said he understood the bill's intent but was concerned about the "unintended consequences" on low-income and elderly residents.
The County Council overrode the mayor's veto in May.
"I vetoed the bill because I never wanted it to get to this point, where it is hurting our local families for whom the circuit breaker was meant for," Arakawa said in a statement. "I said before that I would consider an amended bill and that offer is still on the table. There has to be a way to catch tax abusers without causing the harm that this bill has caused already. Our kupuna are suffering right now."
read ... ‘denying hundreds’
UH to seek $54M more from state
SA: The University of Hawaii plans to ask lawmakers for an additional $54 million to help cover operations next fiscal year, with the bulk of the funds needed for faculty salary increases already on the books, school officials said Friday.
Part of the request also includes $250,000 to help lift Manoa's athletics program out of the red.
The budget request would be on top of the approximately $385 million in general funds legislators approved for UH last session for the upcoming 2014-15 year. The Legislature, which enacts two-year budgets, will take up the so-called supplemental state budget in January.
UH is seeking $33.5 million for faculty pay increases tied to its six-year contract with the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly: $14 million for multiyear salary restorations and $19.5 million for 3 percent raises this year and next year.
Lawmakers have chosen not to fund the salary costs the past two years and have told UH to instead fund them with tuition.
read ... UH to seek $54M more from state
State leaders respond to call for new prison
HNN: Kaneshiro also criticized the Justice Reinvestment Initiative which is supported by many state leaders. The program is designed to reduce costs, ease overcrowding and bring home inmates housed on the mainland.
There are about 5,500 inmates in Hawaii's prison system. The number being held in Arizona has dropped by about 250 to roughly 1,450 prisoners.
"It's ironic they call it Department of Public Safety because they're the guys releasing all these people," said Kaneshiro.
read ... State leaders respond to call for new prison
UH Exec Who Allegedly Lied About Accounting Credential Still on Job
CB: A high-level University of Hawaii executive remains in her job — at the same pay — following the conclusion of a university investigation into whether she misrepresented herself as a certified public accountant.
University officials refuse to say why she’s still on the job or whether or not they concluded that she illegally misrepresented herself on her resume.
But evidence suggests that Karen Ehrhorn, who was hired as director of administrative services for the UH’s Institute for Astronomy in 2008, lied on her resume by identifying herself as a certified public accountant. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, the nonprofit organization that Ehrhon worked for as chief financial officer before assuming her role at UH, also listed her as a CPA on its personnel page. (A copy of the resume she used to apply for the UH job appears below.)
read ... UH Exec Who Allegedly Lied About Accounting Credential Still on Job
Maui: How Kaiser Used An Anti-Consumer Clause To Skirt Payment For Fatal Cancer
TP: Maui high school teacher Michael Siopes had a rare, aggressive, and fatal form of cancer that Kaiser, his insurance provider, had never treated before. His Kaiser physician said he would have to do an “internet search” to figure out a treatment plan, but that he likely had a month to live. Siopes found a specialist at Duke University, and, with his Kaiser doctor’s referral, underwent successful treatment that eliminated his treatment.
After the time-sensitive treatment was complete, however, Kaiser refused to pay the $250,000 bill, saying it was “elective, non-emergency, non-urgent care” and that Kaiser could have provided the treatment in-house. That was enough of an alleged injustice. But as in all access to justice cases, that is where Siopes’ story begins, not ends. Siopes learned that, like countless consumers and employees, he could not sue in court, because he was subject to an arbitration clause.
read ... How Kaiser Used An Anti-Consumer Clause To Skirt Payment For Fatal Cancer
Don't mandate flat cab fee from airport to Waikiki
SA: As a city administrator pointed out at the Budget Committee hearing, there's nothing stopping taxi companies from offering flat rates now, and some do, for around $30 each way. Hotels could highlight these deals as guests make reservations for rooms, the price of which are dictated by market demand. Perhaps hotels could negotiate lower rates based on volume, and make cab fare part of a package deal for guests who prefer that mode of transportation.
During rush hour, cabbies say, the 10-mile trip from the airport to Waikiki can take an hour. When traffic is light, it's a matter of minutes. The metered fare reportedly ranges from about $30 to $50. We're confident that the variation in price has more to do with traffic congestion than with unscrupulous drivers. Traffic is something that tourists — even in paradise — should arrive expecting.
Charley's Taxi President Dale Evans, who opposes the bill, warns that it could exacerbate an existing shortage of taxis at the airport, where drivers already pay a $5-per-ride pickup fee. That fee is assessed by the state, and the city prevents drivers from passing it on to customers. Fewer than 400 cab drivers wait for pickups at the airport now, down from 1,200 in the mid-1990s. When passengers from several large flights disembark at once, travelers sometimes wait up to 45 minutes for a taxi, no doubt steamed by the time they climb in the back seat —and ready to complain to anyone who will listen.
read ... Don't mandate flat cab fee from airport to Waikiki
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