HB1291: The Ghost of Peter Boy is Waiting
Hawaii Man Indicted for Child Porn
Four Individuals Arrested for Investment Fraud Scheme Targeting Hawaii Residents
Watered Down GET bill clears state Senate--House Version Dead
HTH: … The state Senate voted 25-0 to pass Senate Bill 1035, which would exempt medical providers treating Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE patients from the state’s general excise tax.
Medical services rendered at a nonprofit hospital, infirmary, or sanitarium are already exempt from the GET, but those same services rendered by individual or group practices or clinics are fully taxable.
The bill will now cross over to the House for another vote and further review.
(REALITY: Will be killed by House Finance Committee.)
An amendment added to the bill would end the measure after two years on Jan. 1, 2026....
(TRANSLATION: Watered down to almost nothing. This sunset eliminates any possible long-term effect on doctor retention.)
Despite passing a second reading, House Bill 662, the Senate’s companion bill, died after the House Committee on Finance refused to hear the bill.
The first crossover for bills in the Legislature will take place on Thursday…
SB1035: Text, Status
read … GET bill clears state Senate
High Court: Former HPD Chief Kealoha was not entitled to city legal representation
HNN: … The Hawaii state Supreme Court said in a ruling Tuesday that the Honolulu Police Commission was wrong when it decided that the city should defend ex-HPD Chief Louis Kealoha in one of Hawaii’s biggest corruption trials.
The High Court said Kealoha didn’t qualify for city legal representation because he acted in his own self-interest when he helped frame his wife’s uncle, Gerard Puana, to gain leverage in a civil dispute over money.
“Kealoha’s duties did not include overseeing a criminal conspiracy to hide his and his wife’s misappropriation of funds belonging to others,” the justices wrote.
“Nothing in this record indicated that Kealoha was acting in any way to perform his duties as chief of police.”…
… lawyers said the ruling does apply to other police officers accused of misconduct.
“You can’t just go in and say, ‘hey, I was in my uniform in my car, and therefore you should provide me a defense,’” said Puana’s lawyer Eric Seitz….
Ruling: SCWC-20-0000776
ILind: Hawaii Supreme Court finds former police chief was not entitled to legal representation
SA Editorial: Court shows limits of the ‘line of duty’
SA: Court says ex-HPD Chief Kealoha not entitled to city-funded attorney
read … High Court: Former HPD Chief Kealoha was not entitled to city legal representation
Miske co-defendant pleads “no contest” to state felony assault charges
ILind: …Michael Buntenbah, who was one of Mike Miske’s original 10 co-defendants but pleaded guilty a year ago in Miske’s federal racketeering case, entered a “no contest” plea in state court to two felony assault charges. The plea was entered in October, and Buntenbah is scheduled to be sentenced in the state case on August 23.
Buntenbah, 51, faced two charges of assault in the second degree, both class C felonies carrying a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.The charges date back to an ass(CLUE: This is Stateault on a group of local men who were customers at Miske’s M Nightclub in January 2016….
Buntenbah was originally charged in 2017, but that case was dismissed in late 2021 after prosecutors failed to get the case to trial within a 6-month deadline, even after taking into account delays by agreement or requested by Buntenbah’s attorney….
(CLUE: This is State Court.)
read … Miske co-defendant pleads “no contest” to state felony assault charges
Dozens Of Sunshine Bills Survive Session’s Halfway Mark
CB: … sunshine bills passed unanimously by the Senate Tuesday would:
- ban lobbyist donations to elected officials and candidates that have received more than $100 in contributions right before, during and right after session;
- increase the post-employment restriction for former legislators doing business at the Legislature (read: lobbying) from 12 months to 24 months;
- prohibit foreign nationals, foreign-influenced business entities and foreign corporations from making donations to candidates of electioneering on their behalf;
- specify that a public servant convicted of bribery pay a fine of up to $250,000 in addition to a sentence of imprisonment or probation;
- require the Office of Elections to prepare a digital voter information guide and to let voters know about the guide when they get their ballots; and
- set up a comprehensive system of public financing for all candidates seeking election to state and county public offices beginning with the 2026 general election.
All of these measures passed unanimously, with the exception of that last one (Republican Kurt Fevella voted “no”). Similar mojo was in evidence on the House side, which passed the following bills on to the Senate. They would:
- impose a cap on charges for the reproduction of government records, waive the cost of duplication of the records in electronic format and waive fees when the public interest is served;
- prohibit state workers from hiring or promoting relatives and household members, from participating in other employment-related decisions and from awarding a contract if the employee’s relative or household member would benefit;
- make it a class C felony to make false claims against the state or a county;
- encourage boards (with the exception of licensing boards) to maintain recordings of meetings on website regardless of whether the written minutes of the meeting have been posted; and
- forbid the publication of personal information of federal and state judges and staff whose duties put them at risk for acts of violence or threats.
That last bill saw its Senate companion killed just last week by a committee chair.….
read … Dozens Of Sunshine Bills Survive Session’s Halfway Mark
Council on Revenues Suddenly Makes $328M Disappear
CB: … Hawaii is likely to collect about $328 million less in revenue than previously anticipated during this fiscal year, the Council on Revenues said Tuesday. The change could affect legislative decisions on taxes as lawmakers decide what to prioritize.
The projection comes as the state has been predicting a budget surplus of about $2 billion this year, in part boosted by federal Covid relief funds with expiration dates.
At its January meeting, the council set the state’s general fund growth rate at 5.5% for the fiscal year that ends June 30. On Tuesday, the seven council members voted unanimously to lower that projected increase to 2%.
read … Hawaii’s Budget May Be Smaller Than Expected This Year, Council Says
Tax relief measure aimed at helping farmers advances
HTH: … Kailua-Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba introduced Bill 28 at the council’s Finance Committee on Tuesday. The measure would modify the county’s tax code to allow agricultural properties with residences built on them to qualify for the county’s homeowner tax exemption.
The bill also would allow rental properties used for agricultural purposes to qualify for the affordable rental housing tax exemption, which is equivalent to the homeowner exemption.
Under the current tax code, properties in the homeowner class are exempted from 20% of their assessed value to reduce their net taxable value. That property class also has the lowest tax rates in the county, which cannot increase by more than 3% per year.
Agricultural properties, Inaba said Tuesday, do not have the same benefits, which has made life harder for farmers who live on their agricultural land.
Jonathan Helton, research associate at the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii — a nonprofit think tank — testified at the meeting, saying that property tax rates for agricultural properties increased by 20% last year.
“I don’t see how we’re supporting our ag folks like this,” Inaba said….
Grassroot: Extend property tax break to owner-occupied homes on Hawaii island ag land
read … Tax relief measure aimed at helping farmers advances
Hydrogen -- Fossil Fuel’s ‘Solution’ for Climate Change
IM: … The Hawai`i State Senate voted on SB1520 SD2 Tuesday:
"Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to work with the University of Hawai`i on workforce development activities that support the development of the Hawai`i Pacific Hydrogen Hub and other related aspects of the State's hydrogen energy industry. Appropriates funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the Hawai`i Pacific Hydrogen Hub."…
the fossil fuel industry sees hydrogen as a way to keep on drilling and building new infrastructure, and Friends of the Earth has tracked how it has successfully deployed its PR and lobbying machines over recent years to get policymakers thinking that hydrogen is a catch-all climate solution…
read … Hydrogen -- Fossil Fuel`s Solution for Climate Change
Navy provides details on surveys for repurposing Red Hill
KHON: … The Navy added that under the contract scope of work, two separate surveys will be developed by Nakupuna and their team of sub-consultants. The survey will solicit feedback from Oahu residents and be shaped by input from community leaders, regulatory agencies, environmental groups and academia.
Survey and research content will be provided by CommPac, LLC, while SMS Research & Marketing Services, Inc., will be conducting the quantitative and qualitative surveys.
The Navy said the first survey will be available online to the public and the second will be available both through mail-in and online for Oahu residents.
To receive information about the surveys, register here. …
read … Navy provides details on surveys for repurposing Red Hill
Honolulu Medical Examiner backlog of reports causing death certificate delays
KHON: … Nagamine did receive the death certificate three months later but she wasn’t the only one waiting. According to the City, the current wait time is six months on average. The Hawaii Department of Health issues all death certificates, but they can’t complete it until the Medical Examiner’s Office finishes its reports.
The Medical Examiner’s Office investigates if the death is due to violence, accidental, sudden, unattended or suspicious manners to name a few. The Honolulu Medical Examiner added, it’s working on an 877 report backlog dating back three years ago and 400 reports have been completed so far.
“Our caseload is increasing every year and investigators have been working on a large number of cases and they are getting burned out,” said Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi, Honolulu Medical Examiner….
The Medical Examiner is urgently requesting two new positions in its latest budget proposal. It’s also requesting $3,294,128 for salaries for fiscal year 2024. It added, it’s been unable to recruit a forensic pathologist for several years due to a nationwide shortage and high cost of living in Hawaii.
Meanwhile, Chaminade University’s Forensic Science Department is working with the Medical Examiner’s Office to help streamline applicants.
“We’re really thankful to work with them, because in turn they host a lot of our students as interns,” said Dr. David Carter, Chaminade University Director of Forensic Sciences….
read … Honolulu Medical Examiner backlog of reports causing death certificate delays
Permanent, affordable housing for former women inmates
KHON: … About 50% of Hawaii’s incarcerated women are repeat offenders, according to the Women’s Prison Project….
Linda Lingle said affordable housing projects for women who just got out of prison were all transitional until Mohala Mai.
“Six months for most of them and when that’s finished, you’re again out on your own,” Lingle said. “This is permanent supportive, housing. So, it’s like an apartment building, except that we have a fulltime social worker on site to help the women.”
Lingle is now with the Women’s Prison Project and said inmates often revert to survival crimes if they are released without support.
“Which means just to feed themselves, they end up stealing again or they go back with people who were involved with drugs, or to many of them end up homeless because there is no support system. Mohala Mai can change that for women and for their children,” Lingle said.
There is room for 24 residents who pay no more than 30% of their monthly income. One parolee who lives in separate transition housing said Mohala Mai will be huge for those who think they have nowhere to turn….
SA: Housing project for formerly incarcerated women opens
read … Permanent, affordable housing for former women inmates
Honolulu Police officer arrested for violating temporary restraining order
KITV: … Honolulu Police Officer Ernest Aliksa was arrested Friday morning for violating two temporary restraining orders.
He was charged and posted $3,000 bail. He was released just after 4:30 p.m. Friday.
He's scheduled to be in court for this case on March 17th….
read … Honolulu Police officer arrested for violating temporary restraining order
Lefties Claim Homelessness is Caused by Evictions not Methamphetamines, LOL
KITV: … A new report by the nonprofit Hawaii Appleseed estimates the costs of social services for evicted families who become homeless is substantial -- with taxpayers paying about $30 million a year….
(Translation: The homelessness industry rakes in $30M by keeping the homeless homeless. Now we want you to give them more.)
read … Methamphetamines
$600 A Month In Kakaako Gets Seniors Mold, Shocks And The Smell Of Death
CB: …it took building managers more than a week to perform a welfare check on a tenant who had died alone in her unit. By that time, the smell of death was drifting into the halls….
read … $600 A Month In Kakaako Gets Seniors Mold, Shocks And The Smell Of Death
Legislative Agenda:
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