After Sob Story from Child Molester's Mother, Hawaii House Offers Ex-Cons $50K per Year, Free Obamacare for Life
How They Voted: Sex, Drugs, and Birth Certificates Cross Over
Hawaii New Gun Registrations Drop 20.5%
OpenHawaii.org -- Holding Government Accountable
HART terminates $63 million rail contract, could cost taxpayers
KHON: ...a multimillion-dollar contract is getting the ax, all because two companies, AECOM and URS, merged last fall.
Both have rail contracts with URS paid $63 million to watch over the $99 million in various jobs AECOM is doing, including designing some rail stations and guideway sections. (Yup. It costs $63M to 'supervise' $99M in work. Now you know why Rail is so expensive.)
That merger caused an instant conflict of interest, like a fox watching a henhouse, so the rail authority wanted to know how URS could keep doing the oversight job.
Always Investigating got a copy of a letter the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation sent this week to URS saying URS’ proposed “cure” of the conflict wasn’t good enough.
Now HART will be putting the job out to bid again and URS will have to stop work and stop getting paid, but not until the new contractor is in place.
HART officials say they’ve already paid URS about $6 million. They say they hope the replacement job could cost the same or possibly even less than rest of the terminated contract....
Flashback: Rail Contractor Buys Company Which Oversees it--Grabauskas OK With That
SA: Merger of URS Corp. with its rival causes a conflict over the rail work it was to oversee
PDF: URS letter for Rail contract
read ... Supervising Itself
Attorney General Suddenly Finds Cayetano's Criminal Complaint vs PRP
SA: As it turns out, the state Attorney General's Office did receive two complaints from the state Campaign Spending Commission in November about the 2012 mayoral campaign activities of the Pacific Resource Partnership's political action committee, despite assertions earlier this week from the Attorney General's Office that it was never given the cases.
Anne Lopez, spokeswoman for interim Attorney General Russell Suzuki, said Wednesday she incorrectly told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Monday that Suzuki's office had not received the complaints from the Campaign Spending Commission, which voted 3-1 in November to refer them to the attorney general to determine if criminal charges should be filed against PRP's super PAC, which supported Honolulu's $5.2 billion rail project.
Correcting the matter, Lopez said Wednesday that on Nov. 25 the Attorney General's Office received two complaints from the Campaign Spending Commission.
The commission had voted to refer one complaint on behalf of former Gov. Ben Cayetano, who alleged that PRP's PAC improperly conspired against him in his unsuccessful bid to be elected mayor and make good on his pledge to defeat rail; and one on behalf of Campaign Spending Commission Executive Director Kristin Izumi-Nitao, who alleged that the PAC failed to report an invoice for more than $86,000 spent to help the 2012 campaigns of three of Cayetano's mayoral opponents.
On Wednesday, Cayetano said, "I'm glad they finally straightened it out. The facts speak strongly for criminal prosecution. They (PRP's PAC) tried to game the elections system, which is really a slap in the face to the public. In the past, nobody's done anything about it."
read ... Complaints Received
NextEra Killing Hawaii's Cheapest Source of Electricity?
PBN: NextEra Energy Inc., the Florida energy giant buying Hawaiian Electric Co. for $4.3 billion, is acquiring a major coal-fired plant in its home state with plans to shut it down, citing tough upcoming environmental regulations that coal plants face across the United States, the company recently announced.
The news of the closure doesn't bode well for AES Hawaii, which operates the state's only coal-fired power plant that is also the single-largest generating plant on Oahu.
In December, Hawaiian Electric asked Hawaii regulators for more time to negotiate an updated power purchase agreement with AES Hawaii, and also noted that NextEra Energy would need to give its consent for any agreement made between AES Hawaii and the state's largest utility.
HECO said in its new energy plan earlier this year that it is asking AES Hawaii to convert some of the energy being produced at the plant in Campbell Industrial Park to biomass from coal.
The utility also pointed out that AES Hawaii is under financial stress because there is no financial reserve, and that given the potential financial impact of an interruption of service associated with a financial default of AES Hawaii, HECO has been negotiating in good faith with the company to explore the possibility of an amendment to the power purchase agreement that would make financial sense to AES Hawaii and ratepayers.
The West Oahu plant, which has a year-round capacity of 180 megawatts, about 11 percent of Oahu's commercial energy supply, has given its profits to its parent company.
read ... Expensive Energy Coming
House Committee Snips $226 Million -- Less Than 1% -- Off Ige’s Budget Request
CB: The House Finance Committee, chaired by Rep. Sylvia Luke, unanimously voted Wednesday to trim $226 million off Gov. David Ige’s state budget request for the next two years.
It was the first time lawmakers heard House Bill 500, which provides $25.7 billion in funding over the biennium for the vast majority of government services and programs.
In fiscal year 2016, which starts July 1, the House draft recommends cutting $92 million off of the governor’s request. For 2017, reps reduced the request by $134 million.
read ... Less Than 1%
Ching DLNR Appointment--Two Days of Testimony
Peter Apo: We don’t need legislative bodies debating whether or not we are entitled to nation status
CB: The 1970s were marked across our islands by Hawaiians heightening the struggle to seek political redress for the loss of sovereignty in 1893. The strident political activism of the ensuing years dominated the front pages of Hawaii news, which was the primary lens through which Hawaiians were being observed.
For the next 40 years, Hawaiians appeared as activist-dominated political wanderers, struggling for relevance, without any clearly defined political leadership structure. And as we tumbled forward in the throes of political transition, we seemed a community trapped inside itself, struggling to find a way out of our own skin. It was not a pretty picture. But something else, more profound than the politics of nationhood, was brewing....
During those same years, in the shadows of the political activism, Hawaiian culture was starting down the road of a spectacular rebirth....
By the thousands Hawaiians began taking up cultural pursuits in every discipline. While we were arguing the politics of nation building, we were also redefining our cultural essence as a society. Cultural leadership was springing up everywhere. In droves, Hawaiians flocked to join this wave of cultural nationalism. The cultural nation of Hawaii began to rise from its slumber.
It occurs to me that cultural nationhood is a matter of self-proclamation. We don’t need legislative bodies debating whether or not we are entitled to nation status. We are a self-defined nation. A cultural nation. We have been in existence for centuries and will continue to exist as long as there is a cultural Hawaiian standing tall and proud.
If only we could match our political ambition by raising the bar on our cultural ambition. As we struggle through this political period in our history, let our culture, not our politics, be the defining characteristic as to who we are as a people. What a blessing it would be for us to see ourselves in our highest state of dignity – as a people of a culture....
Flashback: Peter Apo: OHA should abandon its role in nation building
read ... Peter Apo
Star-Adv: Key bills need a critical look
» Houseless Bill of Rights (SB 1014, SD1): No. Homeless people should not be discriminated against, but neither should they receive special rights due to their status, as this measure seeks, in opposition of existing state and county laws. Vital issues affecting homeless people need urgent attention, but this blanket edict, even with its far-off effective date, is not the best way to address them.
» Marijuana dispensaries (HB 321, HD1): Needs refinement. Hawaii's medical-marijuana patients have long needed a legal way to obtain their pot. However, this bill, which would establish a statewide network of at least 26 dispensaries, provides more outlets than are necessary to serve the state's 13,000 registered medical-marijuana patients. One dispensary for every 500 patients? Such broad distribution fuels legitimate concerns that the dispensary network anticipates future marijuana sales in a state where recreational use is not yet legal. Lawmakers should reduce the number of dispensaries allowed before approving this measure.
» Maui County hospitals (HB 1075, HD2): Yes, with caution. Lawmakers should authorize a private entity to assume control of Maui Memorial, Kula and Lanai Community hospitals and operate them as a new, nonprofit corporation. The arrangement offers the best hope of providing high-quality health care at a price that doesn't break the bank. But lawmakers must exercise great care to ensure that Hawaii Pacific Health, the private entity in question, the taxpayers and the facilities' employees all get a fair deal.
» Transient vacation units (HB 825, HD1): Yes. It's long past time for the state to get a handle on this large and growing segment of the tourism industry, in part so that the government succeeds in collecting applicable taxes due. The bill would require owners of transient vacation rentals to register the visitor lodging with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
» Media shield law (HB 295, HD1): No. Journalists are better off with no shield law at all than with this twisted measure, which erodes the bedrock democratic principle of a free press. The bill was amended in the House Judiciary Committee to require journalists to release unpublished information, undermining the very intent of shield laws, which are used to protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources. Lawmakers should simply restore Act 210, the old Hawaii shield law that was allowed to expire despite being a model for the nation. This amended version is no substitute.
read ... Key bills need a critical look
HB819 Gay Agenda in the Schools
HRC: HB 819 is a comprehensive anti-bullying bill which provides specific protection for LGBT students. The bill is broader than most anti-bullying legislation – it applies to all youth serving agencies in Hawaii, similar to the legislation that passed in 2012 in the District of Columbia. HRC provided testimony on the bill before the House Committees on Education and Judiciary.
The Hawaii House also passed HB 631, which will allow transgender people born in Hawaii to more easily change their birth certificate to reflect their name and gender. The bill also ensures that such birth certificates are reissued instead of being marked as amended, which will help ensure the privacy of transgender people....
read ... Gay Agenda
Hinduphobic commentary insults congresswoman's work
SA: A Hindu-American grandfather out for a leisurely walk in Alabama was thrown to the ground and paralyzed by a rogue cop. Two Hindu temples near Seattle were vandalized, complete with Nazi graffiti and spray-painted instructions for congregants to "go home." And a state legislator in Idaho walked out of the state House when a Hindu chaplain offered an ecumenical prayer.
Even Hawaii's tradition of pluralism and spirit of aloha do not seem immune to these strains of Hinduphobia.
Star-Advertiser columnist David Shapiro produced a hit-piece on the only serving Hindu member of the U.S. Congress, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, accusing her of harboring illiberal political views informed by her Hindu faith and a recent visit to India ("Fixation on IS semantics casts doubt on Gabbard," Volcanic Ash, March 8).
Gabbard enjoys unusual credibility in Washington, D.C., on Middle East matters as a policy-driven, articulate legislator who happens to be an Iraqi war veteran. Her insistence that President Barack Obama not shirk from calling out the interpretation of Islam inspiring the Islamic State is not Islamophobia, but rather an intellectually honest assessment based on a basic dictum known to every soldier: "If you don't know your enemy, you will not be able to defeat him."
Gabbard is clear that Muslims are not the enemy. But there are few that would argue that the Saudi-sponsored Wahabi school of Islam is openly espoused not only by the barbaric gangs controlling vast portions of Syria and Iraq, but by terrorists controlling parts of Libya, Algeria, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Nigeria. And Gabbard's views are not radical —they are echoed in the pages of The Atlantic and The New York Times....
As a constituent, Shapiro is right to engage his congresswoman on the merits of her stand. But what must be condemned is his othering of an Hindu-American.
American political tradition long established that it was anti-Catholic bigotry to accuse President John Kennedy of taking orders from the Vatican, and is anti-Semitism to accuse an American Jewish legislator of taking orders from Israel.
Insinuating dark affiliations to Gabbard for visiting India is similarly Hinduphobic and has no place in civil discourse....
Best Comment: "The author of the anti-Hindu blog article that Shapiro refers to, Zaid Jilani, is a Muslim activist who is such a renowned anti-Semitist that he was fired by a progressive think tank for his anti-Semitic tweets. In fact, he targets many people as anti-Muslim and Islamophobes, which is not surprising since Jilani himself is a proven bigot...."
read ... Hindu American Foundation
Who Are the Latest Lawmakers to Raise Cash During Session?
CB: Hawaii state Reps. Onishi, Kobayashi, Ohno, Lowen, Woodson and Creagan, that's who, at Ferguson's Irish Pub Wednesday night....
The fundraising get-together comes one day before the 26th day of the 2015 legislative session, the “first crossover” or halfway point for bills.
Not making the cut: Senate Bill 224, which would have prohibited legislators from holding fundraisers during the regular legislative session. It never received a hearing in Gil Keith-Agaran’s Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee.
Also dead: House Bill 327, which did make it by Karl Rhoads House Judiciary Committee but never received a hearing in Sylvia Luke’s House Finance Committee.
The House measure, as amended, would have prohibited legislators and persons acting on behalf of legislators from holding any fundraiser or receiving campaign contributions during selected times of any regular legislative session.
DN: Speaker Joe Souki advertises fundraiser during session far, far from his constituents
read ... Bought n Paid For
Hawaii lawmakers may temporarily restore dental coverage to Medicaid
PBN: Hawaii lawmakers have advanced a bill that would restore basic adult dental benefits to Medicaid enrollees for the next two fiscal years.
House Bill 1161 would temporarily restore the dental benefits, which dissolved in 2009, and also increase outreach and eligibility services, and create health homes for Medicaid enrollees at community health centers....
"The only coverage we have now is emergent care," she said. "You can go to the emergency room and pull one tooth at a time, bit you're not going to get preventive work, teeth cleaning, X-rays, or care for gum disease or cancer, so we really want the package because there's no point in pulling peoples teeth out, when people need teeth to find jobs."
According to the bill,which crossed over from the House and passed first reading in the Senate on Tuesday, community health centers save the health care system $1,263 per patient per year, which translated to $90 million in savings for the Hawaii Medicaid program in 2013....
read ... Dental
Lawmaker wants to up the penalty for fleeing from police
HNN: Failing to stop is just a misdemeanor in most counties in Hawaii, and State Senator Will Espero is trying to make it a Class C Felony.
He introduced SB186 in January.
"This year we tried to address the issue of driving away from a police officer... and unfortunately the bill passed the first committee but stalled in the Judiciary committee," says Espero.
He is considering adding to that bill, when it comes up in the next legislative session, to include running from police. Right now, that's not illegal at all.
William Andres is accused of doing that too last week, near Hope Chapel in Kaneohe, after police, again, tried to arrest him for being in a suspected stolen car.
CB: Legislature refuses to set minimum standards and training for police officers (SB568)
read ... SB186
Fewer people testify against Hoopili prior to the City Council's unanimous vote
SA: The massive Hoopili development project in West Oahu secured the second of three required approvals by the Honolulu City Council on Wednesday.
Bill 3, which advanced with an 8-0 vote, will now return to the Council Zoning and Planning Committee for further deliberation. If approved there, it will return to the Council for a final vote. Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, one of two West Oahu Council members, is on maternity leave and was excused from the meeting....
read ... Hoopili
Council Moves TVRs, Ohana Units
SA: Bill 22, the measure that would make it tougher for illegal bed-and-breakfast establishments and other vacation rentals to operate, is likely to be stalled, at least temporarily, because of concerns raised by Council members and the public....
Bill 20 is Caldwell's ADU plan. It would allow second dwellings in residential zones only on lots 3,500 to 20,000 square feet in size. The size of the ADUs would be limited to between 400 and 800 feet, depending on lot size. One off-street parking stall would be required for each ADU, although that could be waived if the property is near the city's rail line.
Bill 21 allows ADUs on residential lots 5,000 square feet or greater, as well as agricultural lots. There is no unit size limit and it requires one or two off-street parking stalls, depending on the number of bedrooms.
Also, the Caldwell plan allows the city to continue issuing ohana dwelling permits while the Council bill does not.
read ... Ohana Units
Maui Property Tax Assessments Jump 13.5%
MN: The county's total assessed valuation of all taxable real property has increased from $36.2 billion in 2014 to $41.1 billion this year, an overall increase of approximately 13.5 percent. New construction, subdivisions, additions, improvements to existing parcels and rising sales prices all contributed to the increase.
Approximately 80,500 assessment notices will be mailed to taxpayers.
KGI: Kauai Council kills property tax freeze proposal
read ... 13.5% More Revenue to Waste
38% of Japanese Tourists Dissatisfied with Hawaii Vacation
PBN: In the first quarter of 2014, 62 percent of Japan visitors said they were satisfied with their trip, while 75 percent of Australia and New Zealand visitors, the next lowest, said they were happy with their trip.
Uchiyama said as vacation costs go up, so do expectations. Hawaii also has to compete with other places that do not tip and have lower labor costs resulting in higher staff to guest ratios.
Common complaints the HTA hears are unclean hotel rooms and long waits at counters for rental cars, tours and hotel front desks. Specific complaints about tour buses include not getting picked up and dissatisfaction with the driver.
read ... Dissatisfied
Powdered Alcohol Coming to Hawaii?
FN: Because powdered alcohol is so light, airlines can reduce the weight on an airplane by serving powdered vs. liquid alcohol and save millions on fuel costs. An ice cream manufacturer wants to add Palcohol to their ice cream to make an “adult” version. A hotel in Hawaii is interested in powdered alcohol because it would save them so much on shipping from the mainland. That savings in shipping costs would be attractive to many resorts who rely on imported alcohol.
read ... Powder
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