Entries for February 2022

... SB2916 would prohibit the governor or mayor from suspending requests for public records or vital statistics during a declared state of emergency ....

... Barely a year after Hawaii began allowing nurses to abort first-trimester unborn babies, state lawmakers already are moving forward with legislation to allow nurses to do even more dangerous second-trimester abortions ....

... The House is re-opening the State Capitol to the public beginning March 7, 2022. House members, House staff, and the public will be required to adhere to the state vaccination policy to enter the State Capitol ....

... in Hawaii the increase in the cost for assisted living facility care surpassed the national trend while the increase in costs for home care services was less than what was seen nationally ....

... The game-show style competition tests students on their knowledge of personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities through an individual test, “speed smarts” activity, and game-show style buzzer rounds ....

... Each defendant faces maximum penalties of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 at their sentencings, which are set before Judge Mollway on July 5, 2022 ....

... 16 Hawaii towns compared ....

... Upcoming Legislative Deadlines ....

... CSO is one of two Maunakea telescopes currently in the final stages of the decommissioning process, established in the Maunakea Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). The UH Hilo Hōkū Kea Telescope is on track to be decommissioned in 2023 .... 

... Hawaii legislators are aiming to increase taxes on fuels, property and capital gains, but that might be more trouble than it’s worth ....

... At times, it’s nearly impossible to know exactly why a bill was killed or who was for or against it. Such things happen behind the scenes ....

... carbon-dioxide taxes are inherently regressive and disproportionally harm low-income families ....

... It’s 2022, and the agency is still working on 2014 and 2015 money ....

... Hawaii Public Radio considered the question, with Jensen Ahokovi of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii contending such an increase would likely cause more harm than good.  Also on the program was Nate Hix, director of Living Wage Hawaii; HPR’s Catherine Cruz was host and moderator ....

... How many ways can our state legislators make life more miserable for us? ....

... the regressive general excise tax is one of the reasons for Hawaii’s high cost of living ....

... SB2026 would enter Hawaii into the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact....

... A tax hike on alcoholic drinks would be another burden on an industry that has suffered greatly over the past two years ....

... In 1961, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to pass a growth-management law. ...

... This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts ....

... Companion legislation is being introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz ....

... According to the indictment, Martin Kao, 48, Clifford Chen, 48, and Lawrence “Kahele” Lum Kee, 52, all of Honolulu, were employed by a defense contractor prohibited from making contributions in federal elections ....

... capital gains shall be taxed “at the highest marginal rate applicable to the taxpayer’s filing status and tax bracket.” ....

... This bill is a continuation of the policy of social-planning-via-taxation that has helped make Hawaii one of the most expensive states in the nation ....

... SB3089 would amend the state’s emergency-management statute ....

... SB3076 would encumber cryptocurrency, not liberate it ... Digital currency bill SB3025 better than SB3076, but still a rat’s nest ....

... Sales would be limited to farms or facilities with no more than 2 milk-bearing cows ....

... a bill that would ban state and local law enforcement agencies from acquiring certain military equipment from federal programs ....

... These figures are up from 2020 (85 fatalities), when nationwide traffic fatalities trended up, but down from the 108 fatalities recorded for 2019 ....

... many neighborhoods unprotected, without a single officer patrolling for the entire shift ....

... The City and County of Honolulu and the River of Life Mission have reached an agreement to relocate its public feeding operation from its current location in Chinatown to several new hubs on O‘ahu ....

... In the federal system the little fish eats the big fish.  We've got a menu .... 

... Return of geothermal boosts Hawaii Island to 60% ....

... auto-loan balances have grown ....

... The Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) is calling on the Legislature to make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants who receive rental assistance ....

... how widespread this corruption is in our government ....

... booster shots will not be required for “up-to-date” vaccination status for individuals traveling to Hawai‘i ....

... Rep Ty Cullen and former cocaine dealer J Kalani 'Powdernose' English arrested today ....

... 16,000 people in Hawaii quit their jobs in November 2021, the most recent month of available data - a 45.5% increase from one year earlier ....

... Grand Wailea Resort isn't the only place on Maui with night lighting ....

... the four lbs of fentanyl was being transported to Dayton, Ohio on December 10, 2014 by a drug trafficking organization operating on Maui and in Northern California ....

... a Senate bill includes $100M and a separate House bill includes $403M ....

... Regressive Gasoline Tax Would Top Out At $33.16 Per Barrel In 2035 ....

... In this proposal, “assets” refer to the “worldwide net worth” of the taxpayer and includes items such as stock, business interests, stock and collectibles, business funds and more ....

... Hawaii already has the third-highest level of economic flight per capita in the nation. ...

... the ALOHA homes program as currently envisioned in this bill would result in an expensive, nonsustainable government project that would fail to effectively assist those it is intended to help ....

... The legislation would restrict asset forfeiture to felony cases and would require a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with the process in most cases ....

... Hold on to your wallet ....

... We are 17 days through the 31st Legislature. The "People's" building is still closed and it doesn't look like Senator Kouchi, Speaker Saiki or Governor Ige are interested in opening it up. ...

... Road map to prosperity ....