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SB1150: Trans Activists Cry over lost opportunity to kidnap children legally
KITV: … A Transgender Day of Visibility sign waving at the Hawaii State Capitol advocated for trans lives after a gender-affirming care protection bill failed to advance this legislative session.
The rally on Monday, March 31 at Capitol Modern celebrated transgender people and raised awareness about the discrimination they face worldwide. Although a gender-affirming healthcare bill was passed in February, a joint hearing was scheduled for it later that month. SB 1150 was killed for the year after it got deferred without discussion or a vote.
History has repeated itself—last year HB 2079, a bill similar to SB 1150, passed the state House by a 35-14 vote but did not receive a hearing in the Senate.
According to data from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, Hawaii has among the largest numbers of people per capita who identify as transgender. …
REALITY:
read … Transgender Day of Visibility sign waving for trans issues to be more seen
Expungements: More Hawaii Criminals Hide their True Nature
MM: … The measure, HB 132, from Rep. David Tarnas (D), would expedite expungements happening through a pilot program signed into law last year by Gov. Josh Green (D). The state Senate approved it last week on a 21–1 vote following passage without opposition in the House in late February.
As of mid-December of last year, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) had reviewed 640 cases and issued 81 expungements under the pilot program, according to the advocacy group Last Prisoner Project (LPP), with 112 cases pending expungement and 414 cases still under review ….
REALITY: Miske Hitman Criminal Record Secretly Expunged
read … Hawaii Bill To Speed Marijuana Record Expungements Process Heads To Governor's Desk - Marijuana Moment
‘Progressives’ Whine About Tax Cuts
HNN: … Rep. Della Au Belatti is a leader of the progressive lawmakers in the state House who criticized the tax cut as financially risky for the state, especially as the cuts grow in the later years…
“My initial reaction was they are making a hard sell,” she said. “In my 18 years, I’ve never seen this kind of promotional ads, and I think it’s not appropriate at a time when we’re looking at some of some really tough fiscal questions.”
Belatti said with (insert excuse here), the state may be forced to roll back some of the reductions.
… the savings are shown are $8,913 this year and $48,537 over seven years of cuts.
Advocates, like Hawaii ‘Workers’ Center director Sergio Alcubilla, said that’s a lot of money going back to people who may not need the relief….
read … Tax cut ad draws criticism for avoiding controversy
Green pushing gambling at $800M Aloha Stadium
KHON: … Governor Green said the contracts with developer Aloha Halawa District Partners will be completed by an upcoming June deadline.
“I’m gonna encourage them to go forward no matter what,” Governor Green said. “We have the $400,000,000. We need to demolish the old stadium. I think you build the stadium. We’ve actually made overtures to several different affluent entities to invest in $50,000,000 increments or bigger. We really would like to have $800,000,000 to build a modern stadium as a part of this district, and that’s why people are talking about gambling, which I’m neutral on right now, but also these other options. You could see the renderings; they’re really beautiful, and it will generate revenue for our state.”
A state senate subcommittee has recently passed two resolutions that could affect the New Aloha Stadium project.
One urges the Stadium Authority to finalize a construction contract and develop the Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. The other proposes creating a state-led ‘Gaming Working Group’ to study legalized gambling in Hawaii….
CB: Will Hawaiʻi Be The Next State To Legalize Sports Betting? - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … Hawaii Gov. Green looking at legalized gambling | KHON2
Irony Alert: Not enough workers to deal with uptick in Hawaiʻi SNAP benefit applications
HPR: … There's a growing demand in Hawaiʻi for the largest federal nutrition program — but there's also a shortage of staff to process applications.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, is fully funded by the federal government. Hawaiʻi received $51 million in SNAP benefits and served 141,000 people under the program in December, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But there isn't enough staff to process SNAP applications.
“ Right now there's a backlog and the people who are eligible for the program are not able to access these benefits. If we can hire one additional worker, that could bring in about $2 million in federal benefits to our families in need, that is an easy 10 to 1, 20 to 1 return on investment just for one worker,” said Nate Hix, director of policy and advocacy for the Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Institute.
The state Department of Human Services said it has a 25% vacancy for eligibility workers and 50% for clerical staff at SNAP processing centers.
(IQ Test: How hard are you laughing?)
Senate Bill 960, would allocate funds for pay increases, new positions, and potential DHS initiatives and programs to improve SNAP participation rates.
(Better Idea: Workfare. Make welfare bums earn their benefits by processing benefits.)
read … Not enough workers to deal with uptick in Hawaiʻi SNAP benefit applications | Hawai'i Public Radio
DHS Having Trouble with $124M plan -- Robots to Cut Welfare Checks for the Humans
CB: … project to speed state benefits to the poor for food, clothing and shelter while detecting fraud and errors has been mired in delays and cost overruns for seven years.
So far, the technology upgrade known as the Benefits Eligibility Solution has not helped anyone, a Civil Beat investigation found, even as the cost of the contract to develop it and maintain a related system has ballooned from $69 million to $124 million — and counting.
The Department of Human Services has long touted the new eligibility system as the answer to an antiquated system, one in place for four decades. It would automate tasks now done manually, allow the state’s many welfare programs to “talk” by sharing data and give Hawaiʻi residents an online self-service portal to apply for benefits.
Snags have bedeviled the project almost from the start – changes in the larger tech world, pandemic vacancies at DHS and the contractor, coding defects, stricter federal security requirements and expansions of the populations served by the project….
read … Hawaiʻi's Needy Wait As Benefits System Overhaul Runs Late, Busts Budget - Honolulu Civil Beat
HB441: 12.5% cigarette tax hike clears key Hawaii Senate committee
SA: … A bill proposing a 2-cent increase in the state cigarette tax that would boost funding for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center passed its first hearing before a key Senate committee Monday despite ongoing opposition from retailers who worry about increased shoplifting and lost cigarette sales.
The latest version of House Bill 441 crossed over into the Senate at the midpoint of the legislative session and moved out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday. If approved this year and signed into law, Hawaii’s per-cigarette tax would jump to 18 cents from 16 cents on Jan. 1….
(DO THE MATH: 2/16 = 12.5%)
The increase would go to the Hawai‘i Cancer Research special fund…
read … Higher cigarette tax clears key Hawaii Senate committee
Governor withdraws two nominees from Molokai Island Burial Council
HNN: … “As it was explained to us, confirmation by the Senate would have been difficult, therefore it was in everyone’s best interest to retract your nomination,” wrote Wendy L. Condol, Boards and Commissions, Office of the Governor….
… She says the burial council now has zero members and has not had quorum for almost two and half years, leaving 22 open burial cases on Molokai, the oldest being 30 years old.
“I mahalo Governor Josh Green and all the senators who had a role in revoking my nomination because they have just inspired and empowered a whole new generation of ōpio to come forward to hold everyone accountable, to make sure that our cultural and native rights are not regulated out of existence,” she said.
The other withdrawn nominee, La’akea Poepoe, told Hawaii News Now that no deficiencies or disqualifiers were flagged and he was vouched by practitioners and government officials.
“Something seems way off about this situation,” he said in a statement….
read … Governor withdraws two nominees from Molokai Island Burial Council
Other claimants enter government’s civil forfeiture case targeting Mike Miske’s assets
ILind: … Miske died in Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center on December 1, 2024, weeks prior to his scheduled sentencing. As a result, his indictment and conviction have been vacated, along with the jury verdict on forfeiture, requiring government attorneys to proceed in a civil forfeiture proceeding.
Attorneys for BOH say the bank is “the mortgagee of record” of the Portlock home based a $1,999,999 mortgage loan secured by the property that was recorded in the Bureau of Conveyances in 2018. The bank’s court filing does not indicate the outstanding balance, including interest, now owed to the bank.
An official notice of the government’s lawsuit seeking the forfeiture was posted February 24 on an official government web site (www.forfeiture.gov), and remained public for 30 days.
According to the court filing, “any person claiming a legal interest” in any of Miske’s properties must file a claim within 60 days of February 24, and then file an answer to the complaint within another 21 days….
U.S. Bank Trust National Association has also filed a claim based on a first mortgage lien on the Paokano Loop home securing a $608,000 loan in June 2013. The loan was originally made by Pinnacle Capital Mortgage Corporation in Roseville, California, but has been transferred through a series of subsequent assignees. U.S. Bank, as trustee for the current mortage owner, has demanded “payment in full of all sums due and owing…through the sale and/or seizure of the Kailua Property.”
Cith records show real property taxes are paid and up to date for both the Portlock and Kailua properties.
Meanwhile, San Francisco attorney Edward M. Burch has entered the governent’s forfeiture case representing both The Michael J. Miske, Jr. Revocable Living Trust, as well as Miske’s granddaughter, Nila, a minor who is identified in the court filing only by her initials, “N.M.”
Nila, is the child of Caleb Miske and Delia Fabro Miske. Caleb, Miske’s son and only child, died in 2016 of complications of injuries suffered in a high-speed crash in Kaneohe several months earlier. Nila was born while Caleb was hospitalized.
Burch and his law partner, David Michael, have a law practice specializing in civil asset forfeiture defense….
read … Other claimants enter government’s civil forfeiture case targeting Mike Miske’s assets
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