Entries for March 2023

... can you count how many times the word 'adding' is used? ....

... we can’t afford not to cut taxes because really, what we’re sitting on right now, are unhealthy ending balances ....

... the state’s mandate to eliminate cesspools is too costly for homeowners ....

... Meanwhile, tens of thousands of servicemembers and dependents stationed in Guam and Hawaii are in danger of seeing their cost of living allowances slashed ....

... Mailer has been leading the Museum on an interim basis since Feb. 2, 2023 ....

... Choy begins work on April 10 and will be responsible for overseeing HTA’s management of finances and government funding, including compliance with legislative and auditing requirements ....

... health, safety and deferred maintenance ....

... tourist spending in nominal non-inflating dollars is +18.0% vs February 2019.  Inflation is 16.77% 2019-2023 so we are just treading water ....

... County lawmakers haven’t decided yet how to deal with property tax hikes that are expected to result from higher property assessments across the state ....

... the 68-23 Senate approved a resolution Wednesday aimed at ending the national COVID emergency declared by then-President Donald Trump in 2020 ....

... Between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2022 the state population declined at an average rate of 0.4% per year ....

... Hawaii’s state debt is also among the top five in the nation at $7,992 per capita and $11,879 when local debt is factored in as well ....

... Since start, nearly 1,800 citations issued along Vineyard and Pali ....

"...You must promise me that if things ever get really ugly between the both of us, you will not say a word about this...."

... median credit scores of residents in 16 Hawaii towns ....

... many bad changes to Hawaii's gun laws ....

... The perennial’s natural habitat happens to overlap with a military-owned training area ....

... The committees approved $185 million in total to finance the teacher housing projects at or near three schools ....

... stealing money intended to provide scholarships to underprivileged students at Kamehameha Schools ....

... The Vice President was asked by Ambassador Huang if he could sit up front, with other Senators, and also to accept an envelope filled with money; Vice President Palik refused, telling the Ambassador to never offer him a bribe again ....

... only New York is worse ....

... Twenty-seven states’ attorneys general are asking Congress to pass Right-to-Repair legislation that they say will protect consumers, farmers and small businesses as inflation increases ....

... bad roads cost Hawaii motorists $764 per year ....

... Hawaii is exactly average ....

... there are currently no planned health and safety restrictions for this year's graduation ceremonies ....

... Hawaii County already has some of the most restrictive housing regulations in the U.S. ....

... three reasons: the state general excise tax, Hawaii's occupational licensure laws and the state's medical certificate-of-need laws ....

... medical professionals have found Hawaii to be an increasingly uninviting place to practice ....

... the Committee on State Taxation focuses on the impact of state taxes on businesses across the country ....

... abortion and suicide ....

... The NPS will use an incompatible insect technique (IIT) which consists of repeatedly releasing incompatible male mosquitoes into the wild ....

... Tax Credits were proposed for, among other things, upgrading technology infrastructure; sequestering carbon; upgrading or conversion of cesspools; being a health care preceptor; manufacturing food; providing childcare to employees; being in a creative district; producing organic food; and just being in the state while everyone else is being hammered by a carbon tax ....

... The Hawaii State Legislature is off and running again after a brief pause during which the House and Senate exchanged the bills they each had approved ....

... Bills introduced and votes cast in Congress ....

... Martin Jano Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering & Lukner Weilbacher Found Guilty of Conflict of Interest in Micronesia International Ship Registry Case ....

... SB1522 would replace the HTA with a new “Office of Destination Management.” ....

... the ninth voting member will be selected by the other eight voting members ....

... Green's pick for #2 at DBEDT is Dane Wicker, a current business partner and former chief of staff to Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz.  If Sadayasu is rejected, Wicker could advance to #1 ....

... Here is what happens if you even slightly question the gay agenda for children ....

... In Hawaii, 48 police killings were reported from 2013 to 2022, or about 3.3 for every 100,000 residents, the 22nd fewest among states ....

“...egregiously long, unnecessarily complex, and confusing....”

... Hawaii, Washington DC, and New York had the largest reduction in employment ....

... the administration made no effort to discuss this issue with the Pacific delegations or to notify us even at the recent IGIA forum that such a drastic change to our way of life was even being considered ....

... two public scoping meetings, March 30 and 31 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ....

... Hawaii State & Local Tax Burden as a Share of State Income -- 14.1% -- 3rd highest in USA -- $8,410 per capita ....

... 55 bills introduced by the House Majority Freshmen have passed third reading in the House and crossed over to the Senate ....

... Pistol and rifle ranges at the Koko Head Shooting Complex on-track for reopening in April 2023 ....

... in June 2022, an undercover agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) sought an appointment with Boulange, posing as a new patient seeking a prescription of opioids ....

... The state bolstered its already robust abortion laws to better shield abortions seekers and providers from being targeting by states with more hostile abortion restrictions ....

... SB36 amends state law to allow county prosecutors to initiate felony cases by complaints following preliminary hearings and prohibits multiple attempts to initiate a felony prosecution for an offense, except in certain circumstances ....