Case Dismissed—For Now
Walk back our tax cuts? That would be a shame.
ALICE REPORT: 37% of Households Consider Leaving Hawaii
14% of Hawaii Healthcare Jobs Vacant
Deport Illegal Thieves? Hawaii Congressional Delegation Votes 'Nay'
Debate: Jones Act Reform a Winning Topic
OIP: New Law and New Opinions for New Year
Salary Squabble after years of Dysfunction: Is Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Boss Worth $300K/yr?
SA: … The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism are at odds over budget and hiring — two categories that are the first litmus test of what it means for the tourism agency to be fully attached to DBEDT.
DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka, who is a voting member of the HTA board, has recommended a $70 million budget rather than the $80 million budget the board voted for, and now is holding up the board’s decision to hire a new president and CEO over salary considerations raised by Gov. Josh Green.
Before hiring Bishop &Co. to conduct an executive search, the HTA board approved raising the salary for the agency’s top executive to $300,000, a $50,000 hike, which was approved in the budget worksheets for House Bill 1800, the finance bill state legislators passed in May and Green later signed into law.
The employment firm posted a job description in the fall and more than 400 applicants applied for job, but the search is now on hold because Tokioka said Green told him he will not approve a hire that makes more than $188,800, which aligns with the salary parameters for lieutenant governor. The limit also would force the HTA board to reevaluate the range of other staff salaries, including the chief brand officer position, which was budgeted for $225,000…
Years of uncertainty have wreaked havoc on HTA’s staffing, which is short 30% of its authorized positions. Only 21 of the 30 positions authorized by the state Legislature are filled and the agency has been without a permanent top leader since September 2023 when former HTA President and CEO John DeFries opted not to pursue renewing his contract.
A majority of the HTA board views finding a permanent top leader as the next major step in shoring up the agency, especially its personnel. In addition to the top position, it also needs to fill the key chief brand officer vacancy and five other positions: sports brand manger, brand manager, planner, destination manager for Hawaii island, and a finance account clerk.
University of Hawaii at Manoa political scientist Colin Moore said the abrupt salary change and delay in hiring a top leader “hurts the stability of HTA — an agency that has already been unstable for years.”…
read … Clash erupts over Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s search for new leader | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Gov. Green becomes Dr. Green to oppose Kennedy
SA: … “Vaccination programs are one of the greatest public health achievements in human history. Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years.” ….
read … Column: Gov. Green becomes Dr. Green to oppose Kennedy | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Anti-telescope Activist Enthused by Recent Developments
SA: … The future doesn’t look bright for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The project promises advancements in technology and science but has been beleaguered since inception. TMT supporters recently received more bad news. An external panel of experts published sobering insights, in a new report commissioned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate the United States Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELT), including a proposal to fund development of the TMT in either Hawaii or the Canary Islands and Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
The independent review of the US-ELT was conducted to assist NSF in deciding to fund either project, both, or neither. In a Feb. 22, 2024 meeting, NSF approved a $1.6 billion spending ceiling for the program which, at that time, considered resources might only be directed to a single observatory.
In the anxiously awaited report, published Dec. 9, 2024, the panel doesn’t posit a recommendation to fund either TMT or GMT. Instead, it emphasizes congressional support….
read … Column: Stars don’t align for Mauna Kea’s TMT | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Months after a deadly Waianae Valley rampage, an illegal party structure is being dismantled
HNN: … “I felt sick, honestly. Because I feel like, why did it take so long and why did all of this have to happen before something was actually done?” ….
read … Months after a deadly Waianae Valley rampage, an illegal party structure is being dismantled
Social Security pay boost for 33,000 retirees in Hawaii
SA: … the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82 (808ne.ws/4h66U1A), which repealed rules that reduced payments for some retired public workers with pensions (and their spouses or survivors), even though they had paid into the federal retirement system. Nationwide, about 2.8 million Americans, including at least 33,000 in Hawaii, are expected to benefit from the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset.
Retirees affected by WEP would see their Social Security benefits rise an average of $360 a month, while spouses or survivors affected by GPO would see an average monthly increase between $700 to $1,190, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (808ne.ws/4fWnG2h)….
read … Kokua Line: When is Social Security pay boost for certain retirees? | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Nuggets of wisdom found in speaking wit to power
Shapiro: … For OHA Chairman Kai Kahele: “If you’re feeling cocky, it’s because there’s something you don’t know.” — Eoin Colfer ….
read … David Shapiro: Nuggets of wisdom found in speaking wit to power | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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