Green Signs $4B Lahaina Settlement Bill
SB933CD1: Shell Bill Gives Legislators $50M to Dole out to their Friends
Maui County Sewer Rates Jump 9%
Paid in full. Trust? Still pending.
Carpenters Union Announces Plan to Harass Non-Union Contractors
Good Jobs Hawaiʻi participants see significant wage gains, UHERO finds
Firearm Permits Subject of Hawaii County PD Hearing
Maui Bill 76: Restore Farmers' Food Truck Rights
Green Signs SB1231 Giving Gays More Opportunity to Get Children
M: … Children in Hawaii with LGBTQ parents now have access to more secure legal protections, after Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) yesterday signed legislation updating the state’s parentage laws to be more inclusive of them and other children formed via assisted reproduction.
Among other things, the legislation lays out equitable paths to parentage for LGBTQ families and those formed via assisted reproduction, including surrogacy; clarifies that a functional parent (someone acting as a parent who meets certain specified criteria) is a legal parent; and removes gendered language.
(TRANSLATION: Non-biological gay gets control of your biological children.)
The paths to parentage now also include voluntary acknowledgments of parentage (VAP), simple, free forms that can be completed at the hospital immediately after a birth (or later) to establish legal parentage. While all states are required by federal law to have such forms for different-sex unmarried couples, Hawaii becomes the 13th state that explicitly states that married and same-sex parents can also access them, per the Movement Advancement Project.
(TRANSLATION: Non-biological gay gets control of your biological children.)
The legislation is based on the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act (UPA), model parentage legislation developed by the non-partisan Uniform Law Commission. Hawaii is now the 10th state to enact comprehensive legislation based on or substantially similar to the 2017 UPA, following California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. (Additionally, New Hampshire and New York have comprehensive parentage legislation that is not based on the UPA, per the Movement Advancement Project.)…
(TRANSLATION: Non-biological gay gets control of your biological children.)
SB1231: Text, Status
Read … Hawaii Updates Parentage Laws to Better Protect Children in LGBTQ and Other Families - Mombian
‘Wheeling’ Means UH Will Clutter West Oahu Ag land With Solar Farms
CB: … One possibility is to build more off-site solar farms, like the one on UH land on the west side of Oʻahu. According to Topping, that land was initially intended to be used for agriculture. But due to a lack of access to water, UH took a deal offered by Hawaiian Electric Co. to have solar installed. …
The wheeling option offered by the new state law may give UH the final energy push it needs to meet its 2035 goals by allowing it to bring power to the Mānoa campus from offsite generation, like the west Oʻahu solar farm. …
(IDEA: Build one geothermal plant at Kaneohe Bay.)
Read … It's Slow Going In UH Quest To Reach 2035 Renewable Energy Deadline - Honolulu Civil Beat
Will Solar Incentives Impact Non-Participants?
IM: … A major controversial Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission regulatory proceeding will open shortly. What is fair compensation for ratepayers with solar and storage systems?
Individuals and groups seeking to affect the outcome will have 20 days to file a motion to participate in the proceeding. Those who do not intervene lose the right of appeal.
The Governor threatened to veto SB 589 written by Senator Wakai. The Governor then signed the bill into law. Lawmakers hope that the bill will reduce energy rates.
Senator Wakai asserted that it would reduce electric bills three times the national average.
Some testifiers are concerned about who wins and who will lose, that is, will the bill shift costs to non-participants? …
The legislation states that the Public Utilities Commission SHALL establish a goal for new customer-sited distributed energy resources by 2030, shall provide compensation for solar sufficient to encourage deployment of customer‑sited distributed energy resources, shall provide compensation for solar sufficient to encourage, and shall implement intragovernmental and non-governmental wheeling….
The legislation does not mention energy equity, that is, there is no mention of safeguarding non-participants from rate increases to compensate the solar industry.
Read … Will Solar Incentives Impact Non-Participants? | Ililani Media
‘Affordable’ Housing $2,500 / Month
SA: … The developer says the rental units could include eight “affordable” two-bedroom units targeted for those who earn 80% of the area median income — for one person in 2025 that equates to earning $85,150 annually, state data indicates. As proposed, 146 units would be leased as market-rate rentals.
The eight two-bedroom units proposed for lease at 80% AMI would see a monthly rent of $2,500. The remaining units would have monthly rents of $2,800, the developer says.
“The proposed project is an in-fill project that has been designed to directly reflect the contents of the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan,” Makena White, with Planning Solutions Inc., said before the Council’s Zoning Committee on June 26….
Read … Haleiwa development under Council review | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
‘Affordable’ Housing $556K per unit
HNN: … A major new affordable housing project has officially opened in Aiea. The Naulu Apartments, located next to Halawa View and across from Pearl Harbor, offers 302 brand-new units for low-income families earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income.
Designed by AHL and built by Nordic PCL, the 25-story tower includes studios to four-bedroom apartments featuring modern finishes, air conditioning, and ADA-accessible features. Residents also have access to a fitness center, sky lounge, study areas for keiki, and outdoor BBQ spaces.
The $168 million project is the largest Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development in Hawaii in the last 15 years, made possible through public-private partnerships with HHFDC, Hunt Capital Partners, the City and County of Honolulu, and Bank of Hawaii….
(DO THE MATH: $168M / 302 = $556K per unit)
Read … Naulu Apartments opens in Aiea, offering 302 affordable units for local families
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