Entries for September 2017

Hawaii has enacted such a law and it is under challenge in federal district court. ...

... legislation that would permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, or the Jones Act, to aid recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria and encourage long-term economic growth ....

...A similar program at an Oahu intermediate school produced a 91 percent daily school attendance rate in 2016-17, up about 40 percent from 2015-16....

...The Hawaii legislature has directed the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) to undertake a study on the future of utility ownership models on each island in Hawaii....

...the consequence of a flattening construction path and the natural effects of tightening labor markets....

...Gallup says it's exercise, Bloomberg says it's labor unions....

Total visitor arrivals rose 4.8 percent to 818,581....

...Puerto Rico needs more than temporary Jones Act waiver...the Jones Act had been significantly hindering essential relief efforts to the millions of hurricane victims on the island....

...Chamorro Land Trust (CLT) is modeled on DHHL--but CLT is vulnerable to this litigation because, unlike DHHL, CLT not an act of the US Congress written into the Admission Act of a State....

...CMS data show that total costs for new Medicaid beneficiaries in Hawaii rose from $249.1 million in 2014 to $437.4 million in 2015-a 76 percent single-year increase. Costs per-enrollee jumped 73 percent in that same period, going from $7,462 in 2014 to $12,910 in 2015....

...2017’s Most & Least Financially Savvy States....

...Working towards achieving a shared goal of functional zero by December 2018, which means that every family in Hawai‘i that becomes homeless can be placed into housing within 30 days....

...but Atty Gen Chin's news release was titled "CRIME IN HAWAI`I AT RECORD LOW LEVEL IN 2016".... 

...The accountability system includes multiple measures of school performance including proficiency in Science, Math and Language Arts/Literacy; chronic absenteeism; school climate; graduation rates; and achievement gaps....

...Excise taxes are particular taxes levied on specific goods or activities....

...the Board adopted today the recommendation of retired judge Riki May Amano to approve the application for a Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) to build the Thirty-Meter Telescope....

...Audit of Housing First, Community Assistance Program, and Hale Mauliola Homeless Programs....

...The State of Girls 2017: Emerging Truths and Troubling Trends....

...Hanabusa said operationalizing Aegis Ashore on Kauai would interfere with PMRF's missile testing and compromise the military's relationship with the local community....

...TOTE has every intent to challenge Pasha Hawaii not only for assignment of KCT, but also Pasha Hawaii’s current operations prior to completion of KCT....

Crowley taking action to defend their interests and forestall the administration from declaring a Jones Act waiver to cover Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico....

...double-digit increases in the number of exam takers, exams taken and scores of 3 or higher....

...the Jones Act has contributed to a smaller and older domestic shipping industry with more dangerous conditions for American seamen....

...the Diamond Head Terminal at Piers 1 & 2 – where TOTE would operate -- won’t be available until the 2024/2025 time frame....

...The likely practical effect, it appears, would be that the planned review simply will not occur, and that the new action would be met with new lawsuits, starting all over in the lower federal courts. ...

...adjusted for cost of living....

“This is an important case because Hawaii goes even further than California did, and they are clearly singling out pregnancy centers....” 

Cong Velázquez is one of five representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives of Puerto Rican descent....

...the Harbors Division isn’t satisfied with three years of triple-digit increases....

...Provides for an increased federal Medicaid matching rate (FMAP) for both Alaska and Hawaii....

The hearings will be held at the following times and locations....

...number of significant condo and retail projects have wrapped up on Oahu, while fewer new buildings have broken ground, resulting in an overall reduction in construction activity and employment....

"...we waived regulations, we waived rules, we waived the Jones Act restrictions to free up additional capacity."

...Hawaii counties collect an average of $980 in property tax per capita....

...PASHA gets the new Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT)....

“No one should be forced to provide free advertising for the abortion industry"

...the most received in a quarter century--But Fall 2017 enrollment at UHM still dropped 2.5% from Fall 2016.....

...CNHA's cut will be $450K....

...Sheʻs Planning To Control Your Phone & Computer....

In Hawaii about 79 percent of traditional public school teachers are chronically absent. In Hawaii charter schools it’s 23 percent…..

...Enviros win 90% in Hawaii Supreme Court....

...At 10am on Wednesday, September 20, the Department of Health (DOH) is having the first public hearing for its new petition process to add new conditions for the use of medical cannabis....

...two full-day trainings on “How to Run a Campaign” and “What to Expect After a Successful Campaign” run by lobbyist and former State Democratic Party Chair Alex Santiago....

...$27,100 = Each taxpayer's share of Hawaii's debt....

...up 25% since 2012....

...2017’s Most & Least Diverse States in America....

...The Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments Friday in a case centered on whether residents of Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands should be allowed to vote absentee in their former state of residence....

...Honolulu has seen an average sea-level rise of only 5.6 inches since 1900....

...Ironically, the Memo itself was not posted on the Governor’s news feed nor is it linked by any Hawaii.gov website....

"...Doing nothing is unacceptable...." -- Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Sept 18, 2017