Indian Tribe? Hawaii Political Leaders Haven’t Learned a Thing Since 1999
Hawaii's State Debt Now Represents 92% of the Average Taxpayer's Income
"Disrespectful to Kupuna" Abercrombie Cancels Debates
Report: Hawaii Highest Energy Costs, Lowest Consumption
Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted July 14, 2014
Republicans Sending Staff to Hawaii to Boost Fall Campaigns
CNN: As part of its efforts to expand the map, the RNC is announcing that its putting additional staff in Hawaii and Oregon, two blue states the GOP hopes to put in play this November. If the midterms turn into a wave election for the Republican party, similar to the 2010 contests, the RNC believes it has a shot at defeating Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and thanks to a divisive Democratic gubernatorial primary in Hawaii, the party committee thinks that seat may now be in play.
read ... National Staff
Hannemann’s independent campaign appears to struggle with fundraising
ILind: Here’s a look at the contributions reported by Independent Party candidate for governor, Mufi Hannemann from the beginning of 2014 through the end of June. The campaign reported 73 contributors who gave more than $100 during the period. Their contributions totaled $139,650, while small contributions of $100 or less came to an additional $5,950, according to the campaign’s report filed with the Campaign Spending Commission. Hannemann family members added $13,200.
That’s a substantial amount, but it’s not enough to fuel a contested general election campaign.
read ... Hannemann’s independent campaign appears to struggle with fundraising
Kim Exempt Hawaii from Obamacare
SA: Kim was the only candidate to support a Hawaii exemption from Obamacare, the federal Affordable Care Act. Kim said she supports an exemption because the state's existing prepaid health care plan is so much better.
Chang said he supports Obamacare but that it doesn't go far enough.
"The only way to get truly universal health care in the United States and in Hawaii would be a single-payer system," he said, arguing that it would cut administrative costs by as much as 30 percent.
Single-payer national health insurance is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health care financing, but the delivery of care remains largely in private hands.
The other five candidates said they support Obamacare. They either rejected or did not address the idea of exempting Hawaii from Obamacare.
read ... Exemption
Leading Dems Reject Anti-GMO Lunacy
SA: Takai said the USDA already labels foods for nutritional value and that requiring the agency to deal with GMO information would bring more consistency and fairness to the situation.
Kim said that a state law requiring GMO labeling would put Hawaii farmers at a disadvantage if those bringing in products from elsewhere don't have to be labeled.
read ... Nobody Wants Babes Against Biotech
Neighborhood Board Elections Coming Up
SA: If city Neighborhood Commission Executive Secretary Nicole Velasco had her way, all 437 seats on Oahu's 33 neighborhood boards would be filled.
The commission, which provides administrative support for the boards, among other duties, has made some progress toward Velasco's goal.
As of July 1, 404 board seats were filled, leaving just 33 vacancies islandwide. There were 388 seats filled when Velasco first came aboard in January 2013....
Oahu residents can choose to run for a two-year term in the 2015 Neighborhood Board elections. Candidates can register to be on the ballot from Dec. 1 to Feb. 20. The mail-in voting period runs April 24 to May 15, and winners take office July 1.
read ... Neighborhood Board Elections
New campaign spending rule brings 'better transparency'
SA: Political candidates reporting their expenses online must now place each expenditure into one of eight categories under new rules from the state Campaign Spending Commission.
The requirement is aimed at making it easier to track how election dollars are spent.
Using a drop-down menu, candidate committees must assign each expenditure to one of the following categories: directly related to candidate's campaign; charitable donations; public school or public library donations; full-time student scholarship awards; fundraiser tickets (maximum of two); political party contributions; ordinary and necessary expenses as an officeholder; and mixed benefit expenses.
The commission's website further details what's allowed and not allowed under the eight categories. Food and beverage expenses tied to constituent meetings are OK under "ordinary and necessary expenses" for an officeholder, for instance, but food and beverages strictly for staff are not, the guidelines state.
Candidates are required to follow the new steps when reporting any expenses that occurred July 1 or later, said Kristin Izumi-Nitao, commission executive director.
read ... New campaign spending rule
Without Contractor Giveaway, UH Doesn't Need 7% Tuition Hike
SA: Last year, though, UH administrators and regents revealed an aggressive plan to start tackling some $487 million in backlogged repairs and deferred maintenance over the 10-campus system; they sought the 2014 Legislature's OK to float tuition-backed revenue bonds. But lawmakers rejected the plan, ultimately approving $50 million in state-backed general obligation bonds for next year toward facility repairs systemwide, a fraction of the $212 million in revenue bonds UH wanted.
Review of the tuition increases' impact was expected midway through the five-year schedule. But certainly, collapse of UH's facilities-repair plan has taken pressure off bigger-than-needed increases.
"I don't think any of us, frankly, feel it's going to be 7 percent," John Morton, UH's vice president for community colleges, said last week. "Whether it's zero, whether it's 1 (percent) or it's 2 (percent) or it's 3 (percent), it has to be set."
read ... Don't backslide on improving UH
Staff shortage forces closure of ambulance units
HNN: A staffing shortage forced the city's Emergency Management Services division to close ambulance units Saturday night and Sunday.
The shutdowns occurred after two paramedics were injured in an accident at Ala Moana Center Saturday.
The Nanakuli ambulance unit was closed during the Saturday night graveyard shirt from 11 p.m. To 7 a.m., and continued through the day shift that ended at 3 p.m. The rig, which averages ten calls a day, sat idle in the parking lot of the Kaiser Nanaikeola Clinic, where it is stationed.
Meanwhile, the Kaneohe rig was also idle in its garage. That unit was closed during Sunday's day shift, along with "quick response" units in Makakilo and Kaaawa.
Such shutdowns are very unusual. The last time ambulance units were closed was during Easter weekend, when there was another staffing shortage.
Sources said the ambulance crew members involved in Saturday's crash at Ala Moana Center were in the middle of their second straight eight-hour shift.
Hawaii News Now reported last May that crews have been forced to work 16-hour days because of the staffing shortage. Medics often call in sick simple because they're overworked and exhausted.
The city and the medic's union, the United Public Workers, had been talking about switching to 12-hour shifts, which would allow the city to run its 22 ambulances with one-third less staff each day. However, negotiations have stalled (because UPW is more interested in playing political games than in providing actual representation to workers.)
read ... Staff shortage forces closure of ambulance units
Hawaii Lowest Proportion of Health Savings Accounts
BI: HSAs, authorized under a 2003 law that added a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program, became available on Jan. 1, 2004. Enrollment has risen steadily since then.
According to AHIP, 1 million people were enrolled in HSAs in 2005; 3.2 million in 2006; 4.5 million in 2007; 6.1 million in 2008; 8 million in 2009; 10 million in 2010; 11.4 million in 2011; 13.5 million in 2012; 15.5 million in 2013; and 17.4 million in 2014.
States with the highest percentage of HSA enrollees younger than 65 with private health insurance at the start of this year were Minnesota at 17.6 percent, Illinois at 14 percent and Washington at 13.8 percent. States with the lowest percentage of enrollees at the start of this year were Hawaii at 0.3 percent, Alabama at 1.7 percent and Mississippi at 2.1 percent.
read ... Hawaii 0.3%
Maui Anti-GMO Vote Would Shut Down Molokai's Largest Employers
CB: A November ballot initiative could shut down its biggest employers, but the island's population is dwarfed by voters elsewhere in Maui County.
read ... Molokai Jobs
Fish collecting issue needs cooler heads prevailing
WHT: The West Hawaii Fisheries Council has a very good track record of dealing with this issue in a productive way, and it’s disappointing to see individuals from Maui and the mainland attempting to disrupt their progress.
read ... Fish collecting issue needs cooler heads prevailing
UH Fails to Pay Students on Time
KL: “They always receive them, it’s just the timeliness of it,” women’s basketball head coach Laura Beeman said. Her team saw a few late checks this summer, but avoided drastic consequences. Still, she understands the potential severity of the problem.
“The biggest issue is the same as the football players had: Rent was due on the first, and you don’t get your check till the fifth,” she said. Men’s basketball coach Gib Arnold affirmed that he has had past players – particularly international students – who have also received their stipends late, though it was “nothing like what happened this summer.”
read ... Understaffing blamed for late student-athlete stipends
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