Entries for February 2020

...The House passed HB 1902, HB 2736, and HB 2744. The bills will now move to the Senate for further consideration. On the Senate side, the Judiciary Committee passed SB 2519 and SB 2635, both with amendments....

...some of the bills we have been tracking are dead....

...The campaign against disposable bags and other products is harming the planet and the public....

...77% of the Jones Act fleet consists of unpowered barges....

...It's the most powerful greenhouse gas known to humanity, and emissions have risen rapidly in recent years....

...Hawaii 2.11 drunk driving fatalities per 100,000 people--down 26.83% from 2017....

...Emergency preparedness in Hawaii....

...Sitting Kauai County Councilmember and Eleven Others Charged with Participation in a Drug Trafficking Organization....

...Qualified robotics teams advance to 2020 VEX Worlds....

... OHA Needs a Watchdog to Fight for Hawaiians and Hawai‘i ....

... the climate litigation campaign has proven unsuccessful and is counterproductive .... 

...Projects total $4.9 billion for fiscal years 2020 and 2021....

...On Thursday, February 27th, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a decision-making hearing on SB 2519 and SB 2635....

... establishes the goal of providing all children who are 3 to 4 years old ... with enrollment in a preschool program by the year 2030 ....

...a perception that the organization and its management "are ineffective, poorly managed, or corrupt" and "do not help or represent the Hawaiian people effectively."....

... 1 in 4 Honolulu residents say they plan to be gone by 2025 ....

...There has been remarkably little clarity on this key question....

...The court upheld the Trump administration’s June 2019 declaration that taxpayer-funded clinics must stop referring women for abortions or be stripped of their Title X funding....

...This Thursday, February 27th, three anti-gun bills: HB 1902, HB 2322, and HB 2736 will be eligible for floor votes in the House....

...Hawaii has the lowest property tax rate, but high valuations make for high property tax bills....

...Hawaii Income Tax Take is 10th Highest in USA....

..."While we've seen incursions into the EEZs of partners and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on the high seas, these are the first interdictions we've had in the US EEZ since 2012"....

...Reckless state spending is exhausting our emergency reserves....

...In January 2020, the total monthly supply of statewide vacation rentals was 797,300 unit nights....

...If the required documents previously submitted are on file with the city, these motorists can simply get a duplicate license online and add on the star marking to indicate REAL ID compliance....

...The Hawaii County Ethics Board is planning an investigation into non-enforcement of the law at the Mauna Kea Access Road....

...to keep those lucrative 'continuing education' courses under the Association's control....

...fined $10,000 by Hawaii State Ethics Commission....

...Hawaii -- State Budget Practice Report Cards and Budget Resource Guide....

...The Most Dangerous States to Work In....

...Multiple jobs. Doubling up. Hawaii adults say they’re doing it all and still struggling....

...If government benefits were available, Nathan Lum made sure that he was going to receive some of them....

...While visitor arrivals racked up another record year in 2019, real visitor spending fell last year as international spending languished. And now the coronavirus rears its ugly head....

...State’s physician shortage remains between 519 and 820 doctors....

...An expert on Seattle's experience will address 2 Hawaii events....

...Experienced aviators Rick Rogers and Bill Enoka have been identified as the two killed at Dillingham Airfield Saturday, February 22, 2020, when their Cessna crashed on takeoff.  Captain Rogers forwarded this letter to media outlets Wednesday, February 19, 2020.... 

...if this bill passes, guess what is going to happen to your electric bill....

...1st Decking: One Week Away--Good and Bad Bills on the Move....

...Airplane in deadly Mokuleia crash involved in another incident 7 years ago....

...A female answering the phone did not seem to understand a reporter requesting to speak to Chris Woo.  She kept asking, “You want masagee?”....

...illegally stealing fish which exist for the viewing pleasure of billionaires....

...We reviewed 99 House and Senate bills proposing 63 special and revolving funds during the 2020 legislative session. None satisfied the criteria....

...HB 2541 HD1 would make the state earned income tax credit refundable and permanent, and increase the refundable food/excise tax credit. In addition, the bill would increase the minimum wage....

...In times of crisis, we are likely to be held back by the same problems that affect us now — the doctor shortage, the shipping restrictions caused by the Jones Act....

...The Judicial Council is seeking applicants to fill one upcoming vacancy on the Hawaii State Ethics Commission. The term will run from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024....

...Hawaii Black Voter Turnout in 2018 Midterm – 46th (4th worst)....

...Railroaded: City proposes Mind-Blowing 233% increase in bus fares....

...Hawaii County's median listing price decreased by 10%....

...The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Submillimeter Observatory and the UH Hilo Hōkū Ke‘a teaching telescope were previously set to be demolished by 2021....

... will Sen Taniguchi block this bill as he did last session? ....