Entries for 'News Release'

...Abercrombie last week alerted the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services that the State of Hawai'i will be applying for the new ”Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge” grant competition....

Today, join us in making history when the first, all-Twitter Presidential Debate is held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. (9AM-10:30AM HST)

EIRs are required for plastic bag bans by (i) “larger” cities and counties and also (ii) small cities based on the cumulative impacts. Save The Plastic Bag Coalition has legal standing to enforce that requirement.... 

A new unprecedented statewide research survey on child abuse and neglect in Hawai‘i reveals that child abuse is a pervasive and serious issue. Nearly 40% of residents know a victim of child abuse, 9% say they experienced abuse themselves, and 80% of residents think child abuse is a major problem in society. 

...the PUC determined that Castle & Cooke cannot assign part of its development rights to Pattern Energy to develop 200 MW of wind power on Molokai....

Borreca's column today is an interesting one but we do quibble with his following conclusion:  "... the anti-rail contingent has yet to show its own alternative traffic solution. Honolulu's real traffic jam is the city's inability to move a plan that has overwhelming public support."

Now that the Public Utilities Commission has ordered Hawaiian Electric (HECO) to stop this mega-project and restart it with new bidders, I Aloha Molokai (IAM) requests that Pattern Energy and its subcontractors and partners cease their activities on Molokai immediately.

Hanalani School is a robotic force to be reckoned with. After three days of intense international competition, the Miliani students were named tournament champions for the second year in a row ....

Governor Neil Abercrombie approved the hiring of 10 agricultural inspectors, restoring some positions that were eliminated in 2009.

The Divorce Law in Hawaii program will be held on Thursday, July 14, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Hawaii Supreme Court courtroom on the second floor of Aliiolani Hale at 417 South King Street. The program is free and open to the public.

Abercrombie today signed into law the last of the measures from the 2011 legislative session. In total, Governor Abercrombie enacted 235 measures and vetoed 17; seven bills became law without his signature....

fair, equitable representation for all residents ... one man/one vote fairness doctrine ....  we urge the State Democratic Party to pursue all legal options including filing a lawsuit, if necessary, to overturn this Reapportionment Commission decision....

In June, both sides agreed to terms on a final offer that HSTA negotiators would recommend to the HSTA board. This included the 5 percent wage reduction, equal health care premium costs and other items, such as increased planning time, which reflect tentative agreements that had been made during negotiations through June.

Briefing on Cybercrime to be held Tuesday, July 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol, Conference Room 309.

Abercrombie has enacted 221 bills so far. The deadline to sign or veto bills passed in the last legislative session is tomorrow, July 12, 2011.

 Recent Congressional Vote: House: Fiscal 2012 Defense Appropriations

Governor Neil Abercrombie today signed into law House Bill 1520, which ... directs the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to investigate how an on-bill financing program could operate in Hawai’i and gives the PUC the discretion to implement such a program.

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced he is seeking applicants to the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission (NHRC). Act 195 gives the Governor the power to appoint a five-member Native Hawaiian Roll Commission that will build the foundation for....

HUD will assist homeowners who have experienced a reduction in income and are at risk of foreclosure due to involuntary unemployment, underemployment, due to economic conditions or a medical condition. EHLP can provide eligible homeowners with zero percent interest, forgivable loan of up to $50,000 that pays past-due mortgage payments, as well as a portion of the homeowner's mortgage payment, for up to 24 months.

Warabeya U.S.A. Inc., a Honolulu, Hawaii, establishment, (which keeps House Speaker Calvin Say on a $1000/mo retainer) is recalling approximately 1,550 pounds of convenience meals that may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes....

• Lynn Fallin as Deputy Director for Behavioral Health of the Department of Health (DOH)
• Jade T. Butay as Deputy Director for Administration of the Department of Transportation (DOT)

Fifteen years ago, Hawaii had a combined obesity and overweight rate of 42.2 percent. Ten years ago, it was 49.4 percent. Now, the combined rate is 57.5 percent.

Governor Neil Abercrombie signed into law a measure that recognizes Native Hawaiians as the indigenous people of Hawai'i. Act 195 gives the Governor the power to appoint a five-member Native Hawaiian Roll Commission that will build the foundation for self-determination.

“At first, we questioned the state’s call to relocate our services,” said Brother Sage of Ohana Family of the Living God Ministry, which is in the process of moving its services from A'ala Park to coordinate efforts with the Institute for Human Services’ shelters. “But after much thought and collaboration, we see the potential of benefits to the community that our change and transition in service will make. We are still fulfilling our mission of serving those who need our help while contributing to our collective goal of creating solutions to end homelessness.”

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011
• Senate: Confirmation of David H. Petraeus to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Senate Bill 219 prohibits physically restraining inmates who are pregnant....

As we are celebrating the 4^th of July this weekend, we recommend you take some time to read some substantive articles about who we are as Americans....

The Hawaii Republican Party announced today that Executive Director, Dylan Nonaka, has left his post to launch his own political and public affairs consulting firm...

While Helm repeatedly stated the I Aloha Molokai position of NO to both the cable and the windmills, Ritte said right now his position is also NO but that could change if given the opportunity to negotiate and have his long list of benefits met. The list was so long that he did not have time to finish reading it.

As the nation celebrates its 235th birthday July 4, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii invites the public to its 40th Annual Fourth of July Spectacular on Weyand and Sills Fields....

The Hawaii Meth Project today released findings from the 2011 Hawaii Meth Use & Attitudes Survey which revealed that, compared to a benchmark survey conducted prior to the launch of the Hawaii Meth Project, Hawaii’s young people are significantly more aware of the dangers of trying Meth and increasingly disapprove of trying the drug.

Emphasizing this, Gino Antoniello, VP, Transportation Systems and Equipment for SCOA explained: "Our protest--a first for us--was prompted by the conviction that our bid was improperly passed over in favor of another vendor with less experience and a questionable track record that lacked the proper legal qualifications to undertake a project of this scope."  ...Antoniello stressed that in starting down this protest path, the company did so with a readiness to go all the way.

Beginning on July 1, with the start of the new fiscal year, we must implement the state budget as passed by the State Legislature. This included 5 percent in temporary pay reductions from June 30, 2009 salaries and an equal contribution of health care benefits for state employees.

"If governors and legislatures had truly balanced each state's budget, no taxpayer's financial burden would exist," said Sheila Weinberg, Founder and CEO of the Institute. She continued, "A state budget is not balanced if past costs, including those for employees' retirement benefits, are pushed into the future."

“If the community does not want this project it will not go through,” said Pattern Senior Developer Christian Hackett. “And we will pack up and leave.”

A generic Republican candidate now holds a four-point lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. It's a fifth week in a row that the GOP candidate has been ahead and the widest gap between the candidates to date.

 The state’s plan to bring Hawai'i’s prisoners home include expanding prison space in the state, creating alternatives to incarceration and reducing recidivism through community-based programs.

House Bill 1134 repeals Part V of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act and Act 99, Session Laws of Hawaii 1994, relating to the future termination of the prepaid health care law. Further investigation is needed on whether approval of this bill would have unintended consequences to Hawaii’s Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) waiver.

HONOLULU – Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor-in-Chief of More magazine, will address delegates at Hawai‘i’s 8th annual International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC), taking place on September 20, 2011 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort.

Ms. Kauhane replaces retiring DHHL Deputy Robert Hall, who is leaving the department on July 1.

Jan Gouveia was the vice president for Executive Operation at (Al Hee's) Waimana Enterprises (no conflict of interest here, eh Neil?) prior to joining the Abercrombie Administration in December 2010.

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Confirmation of Leon E. Panetta to be Secretary of Defense
• House: Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011
• House: America Invents Act
• House: Authorizing the limited use of the United States Armed Forces in support of the NATO mission in Libya
• House: To limit the use of funds to support NATO Operation Unified Protector with respect to Libya

The new contract, at a cost of $45.5 million a year, begins July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014, (in other words, until the next gubernatorial election)....

The new fiscal year begins on July 1st with a mission to change the direction of Hawai'i....Last night we held a community forum at Washington Middle School.... Stay tuned for details about more upcoming forums around the state.

The City’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS) has rejected two bid protests regarding the awarding of the core systems contract for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project. BFS found “no procedural or legal violations in any aspect of the procurement” for the contract.

• Raising the retirement age for certain new employees from 55 to 60 years old, and for most others from 62 to 65 years old
• Increasing the number of years for state employees to be “vested” to receive retirement benefits from five years to 10 years.
• Raising the employee and employer contribution rates

"I have asked all departments to work together in a deliberate and thoughtful process that will identify programs that may be affected. In recent weeks, our administration began discontinuing financial support of programs that are valuable but can no longer be sustained, such as Vanpool Hawai'i and the State Pharmacy Assistance Program. These cuts and others that follow will be difficult but the financial constraints we face allow for no other course of action."

This new study explains how states can most effectively drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the standard of living for their citizens.

Vanpool Hawaii has announced a new monthly rate of $985 per vanpool group, effective Aug. 1. For a vanpool group of 6 or 7 passengers, that equals a per-person cost of approximately $164 or $141 per month, respectively, or less if shared between more participants.