Schatz to Replace Durbin as Whip?
Hawaii lawmakers reject bill to legalize sports gambling
Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Kill Pay-to-Play Bill — Again
CB: … The Legislature has refused to close a loophole in state law that has allowed millions of dollars to flow to Hawaiʻi political campaigns from people who get big state contracts.
House Bill 371, arguably the biggest reform measure of the session, would have prohibited donations from the executives of state and county contractors and grantees as well as their immediate family members. The bill had cruised through session, winning a unanimous vote in both chambers just last month.
But earlier this week, legislative leaders injected last-minute amendments that sought to weaken the measure.
Even with those changes, which House Judiciary Chair David Tarnas said considerably weakened the effort to cut down on pay-to-play politics, members of the House and Senate conference committees agreed to it.
But – with the clock ticking down to the Legislature’s self-imposed 6 p.m. deadline Friday – Tarnas and Sen. Karl Rhoads, the Senate’s lead negotiator, pronounced the bill dead because they never got sign off from the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means Committees.
Neither explained what issues the money committees had with the bill, which had little if any fiscal implications for the state budget….
(CLUE: WAM and FIN are the locus of pay to play politics. Duh.)
REALITY: Naming Names: Airports Division Ran Late-Night Parties Where Hawaii Politicians Raked In Money
CB: The Sunshine Blog: Many Bills Left For Dead In Conference Committee Crunch - Honolulu Civil Beat
read … Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Kill Pay-to-Play Bill — Again - Honolulu Civil Beat
Green Fee: Conference Committee Boosts TAT by 0.75%—all receipts to be wasted on ‘climate change’
CB: … House and Senate members on Friday approved the bill to create that fee during the last day of their pivotal conference hearings, in which the two chambers hash out their differences on bills behind closed doors and try to reach consensus.
A final vote to send the green fee measure to Gov. Josh Green, who strongly supports it, is expected next week.
“It’s a historic piece of legislation,” Green said Friday. “No other state has done something of this magnitude to have an impact fee that goes directly to deal with climate change.”
Under the bill, the transient-accommodations tax that visitors pay on their nightly hotel and short-term rental stays will increase by .75%, plus travelers who dock in Hawaiʻi on cruise ships will start paying that tax as well, to cover the new fee.
(CLUE: Placing TAT on cruise ships is illegal. This will be defeated in federal court.)
Green’s office has estimated the move would raise some $100 million annually. Those dollars would then be used to cover environmental projects ….
Care For ʻĀina presented a study earlier this year showing an annual conservation funding gap of at least $560 m(baz)illion for Hawaiʻi. That gap could be as large as $1.69 b(az)illion based on the highest possible scenario, according to the study….
(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)
BH: Hawaii Visitor Green Fee Poised For Approval After Years Of Debate - Beat of Hawaii
read … Hawaiʻi Legislature Takes Historic Step Toward A Visitor 'Green Fee' - Honolulu Civil Beat
Bill aimed at inflation could make shoreline development easier with no public say
KHON: … An SMA Major is a project with a construction value of $500,000 or more, or may have a substantial adverse environmental effect and requires a public hearing.
HB732 bumps that line up to $750,000 to factor in inflation and rising construction costs, but some say developers (NIMBY activists) already cheat the system (as they try to keep Lahaina fire victims from rebuilding)….
read … Bill aimed at inflation could make shoreline development easier with no public say
Chamber supports tax relief for Maui homeowners
MN: … Tumpap said the Chamber supports Bissen’s proposal to reduce tax rates for various owner-occupied categories by 10 to 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, and Tumpap also appreciated the mayor’s plan to expand the first tax tier to homes worth up to $1.3 million.
However, the Chamber is recommending broadening the categories further to accommodate the rise in median home prices and property values.
“We feel more wiggle room is needed,” Tumpap said.
Bissen’s proposed budget would reduce the owner-occupied rate of $1.80 to $1.70 per $1,000 of assessed value for properties assessed at up to $1.3 million.
Citing the median home price hit $1.295 million in March, the Chamber wants the first tier for owner-occupied properties to apply to homes worth up to $1.5 million.
Similarly, the Chamber has recommended expanding the second tier with a rate of $1.90 rate to include properties from $1.5 million to $5 million, and the third tier of $3.10 for properties worth more than $5 million.
“The expansion of these tiers will keep local homeowners living in their homes with lower real property tax brackets for longer periods of time,” Tumpap said….
read … Chamber supports tax relief for Maui homeowners
Hawaii lawmakers scurry to advance flurry of bills past key deadline
SA: … Friday was the deadline for members of the Senate and House of Representatives on multiple conference committees to agree on language for bills where the Senate and House had been in disagreement.
At the start of the day, there were 162 bills scheduled for action at 60 conference committee meetings, and according to several lawmakers, the work to hash out lingering differences was for the most part relatively easy.
“I think this has been pretty smooth sailing,” Sen. Karl Rhoads, who has served in the Legislature since 2006, said a little after 2 p.m. “Feels pretty calm.”
A few hours later, with a 6 p.m. deadline near, the scene in multiple conference rooms got a bit hectic with some lawmakers running between rooms on different floors of the building to cast votes.
With action frozen on many bills, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura and Senate President Ron Kouchi extended the deadline by 30 minutes. Still, many bills stalled and cannot gain passage this year before the legislative session ends Friday….
No public testimony is allowed at conference meetings, but members of the public (crooks, cronies, contractors and contributors), leaders of state agencies and others (lobbyists) who have vested stakes in legislation that were still in limbo Friday were following bills as they were taken up to witness outcomes in person.
Gov. Josh Green was among those walking the open-air halls between meeting rooms Friday, and planned to sit in on at least one meeting while staffers in his office attended others.
“In general, I’m just around to finalize deals,” he said ….
read … Hawaii lawmakers scurry to advance flurry of bills past key deadline
Settlement in $324M Hitachi suit is coming, HART says
SA: … During the board’s project oversight committee meeting, rail staff indicated HART is completing negotiations with Hitachi to settle the claim for alleged project delays incurred on rail segments 1 and 2.
“The claim is in excess of $100 million,” a HART report on the issue asserts. “Additionally, the second quarter revenues of fiscal year 2025 (were) lower than expected based on previous year trends.”….
Dec 27, 2024: Rail Mismanagement Leads to $324.1M Lawsuit
read … Settlement in $324M Hitachi suit is coming, HART says | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Lawmakers hammer out changes to Hawaii’s medical marijuana program
HNN: … Lawmakers Friday tentatively passed House Bill 302, which cracks down on hemp products that provide cannabis illegally through unlicensed CBD stores.
It also allows doctors to authorize marijuana for a wide variety of health concerns, and makes it easier for licensed dispensaries to operate and obtain products from licensed wholesalers.
“I think the passage of the measure number one means that our medical dispensaries are on a better financial footing right now,” said state Rep. Gregg Takayama, House health chair. “They’re suffering for lack of authorized patients and an oversupply of cannabis, and that’s been their complaint to the legislature.”…
read … Lawmakers hammer out changes to Hawaii’s medical marijuana program
Bill to give tax credits to film industry for local productions deferred
KHON: … A bill that would have provided more tax incentives to the film industry for filming in the islands was deferred on April 25 on the last day of the legislative session.
According to lawmakers, an agreement over the tax credit amount could not be reached….
REALITY: Miske Mob Were All Union Drivers on Set of Hawaii 5-0
read … Bill to give tax credits to film industry for local productions deferred | KHON2
Lawmakers aim to explore nuclear power options in Hawaii
HNN: … Lawmakers approved Friday Senate Bill 1588, which establishes a nuclear energy task force within the Hawaii State Energy Office and calls for an interim report prior to the 2026 legislative session….
“The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office appreciates the efforts of Hawai’i legislators to form a nuclear energy task force as we move to accelerate Hawaii’s transition away from fossil fuels. While acknowledging that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) can be built with relatively small physical footprints and less capital investment than full scale nuclear plants, it is our considered opinion that the formation of a nuclear energy task force may be premature, until commercial SMR units have been installed elsewhere, and operational data, installation cost, and waste management systems have been developed and can be evaluated for applicability in Hawaiʻi.
(TRANSLATION: The solar industry doesn’t want clean cheap nuclear energy as competition.)
Also, it must be noted that our state constitution states that ʻNo nuclear fission power plant shall be constructed or radioactive material disposed of in the State without the prior approval by a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature.’”
read … Lawmakers aim to explore nuclear power options in Hawaii
Bill to expand speed enforcement program in final stages at Capitol
HNN: … House and Senate negotiators have tentatively agreed to House Bill 1231, which aims to expand the state’s speed enforcement camera program.
Currently, there are 10 cameras on Oahu monitoring speed and red-light violations….
read … Bill to expand speed enforcement program in final stages at Capitol
Hawai‘i Lawmakers To Require Audit Of Green's Kauhale Homeless Initiative
CB: … Hawaiʻi lawmakers are calling for a performance and management audit of Gov. Josh Green’s signature kauhale initiative.
The audit request came late Friday as members of a House and Senate conference committee passed a bill to fund the initiative, which provides small shelters and support services to Hawaiʻi’s homeless population.
The state has at least 18 kauhale operating now, and Green has said he would like to increase that to 30 by 2026. Funding measures will keep the state on track to reach that goal, Green said Friday, calling it a “historic day” in Hawaiʻi’s efforts to address homelessness.
The measure hashed out during conference committee provides $18.5 million in 2026 and $24.3 million in 2027, said Rep. Lisa Marten, the lead negotiator for the House. That’s in addition to general fund approvals of $24 million for 2026 and $13 million in 2027, for a total of $88.2 million, Green said….
Other money for homelessness programs includes $500,000 for a rent supplement program, $3.1 million for family assessment centers in Puna and Waiʻanae, $7.5 million for a rapid rehousing program and $35.5 million for housing to support kupuna, totaling $134.3 million overall, Green said.
Lawmakers also attached strings to the money. The kauhale bill requires the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, which administers the program, to provide reports to the Legislature every four months outlining program expenditures, Marten said during a brief hearing….
Services provided as dozens of homeless camps cleared from Diamond Head
State and city agencies steer homeless to housing | News | kitv.com
Over 100 cleared from Diamond Head during homeless sweep – zero arrests | KHON2
Hawaii crews clear 45 homeless camps on Diamond Head slopes | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
read … Hawai‘i Lawmakers To Require Audit Of Green's Kauhale Homeless Initiative - Honolulu Civil Beat
DHHL on track to award 2,600+ leases in 2025
MN: … The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) presented an ambitious awards schedule before the Hawaiian Homes Commission Monday and announced its plan to issue more than 2,600 leases by the end of 2025.
The awards schedule outlined reflects DHHL’s strategy to address its waitlist. This includes a variety of homesteading options and opportunities across the state such as project leases, turnkey homes, rent-with-option-to-purchase units and agricultural and scattered lots.
The department is actively developing 29 projects. Awards for the following homestead projects are as follows….
read … Reducing the Hawaiian homestead waitlist: DHHL on track to award 2,600+ leases in 2025 : Maui Now
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