Hawaii State Government

...bills in the 2016 Legislative Session that test the balance between government’s power and the power of the people....

Hawaii's debt levels are high for a U.S. state government, and Fitch expects them to remain so....

All bills under consideration for crossing over to the other chamber must be in their final form 48 hours prior to Third Reading....

This culture of “vote buying” creates a false majority....

We are down to the final week for hearings before bills cross into the other chamber....

...all bills must have moved to a final committee in the originating Chamber by the end of the day Feb 18 in order to continue through the Legislative process....

...serving more than 75,000 full- and part-time employees statewide....

Kahele will take office once the state senate qualifies him and administers the oath of office....

All bills with three or more committee referrals must have passed through their first committee....

The purpose of the 48-hour notice rule is so that the public may participate meaningfully in the legislative process....

...Grassroot Institute Legislative Update....

...the USNS Puerto Rico is the ship being considered by Bay Ferries....

... just when you thought you were seeing a glimmer of leadership ....

...the state’s economy will continue to suffer until the regulatory barriers and crippling tax rates for businesses are removed....

A lawsuit against Petrobras for hiding a bribery scheme for years while selling $98 billion in securities....

...updated with Governor David Ige's 2017 Executive Supplemental Budget released in December 2015, and the Council on Revenues forecast from January 2016....

There were 243 Acts signed into law in 2015; four bills became law without the Governor’s signature. Here are the highlights....

...statewide on-demand channel....

Applications for a vacant position on the State Commission on Water Resource Management are now being accepted for a new term that will begin July 1....

...featuring members of the "We the People" civic club from Kahuku High School....

...Grassroot Institute of Hawaii offered comments before the CPC Committee deferred HB326....

...a planned drop in expenditures that has not been accounted for by any significant cuts....

... Ige will select senator’s successor from Democratic Party nominees ....

ETS is looking to formalize its reorganization of ICSD and OIMT into ETS, as well as expand its team with the addition of up to 31 new positions....

...unfunded liabilities, over-estimated revenues & skyrocketing expenses....

House and Senate Republicans respond to the State of the State Address .... 

Sugar is gone, as are many other aspects of the Hawaii we once knew. In their place, however, there is an exciting new world....

Four years after the ‘Bank of Abercrombie’ bill was laughed out of the legislature, the push for a state-owned bank is being revived....

Hawaii has done it before with lands supporting single-family and multi-family homes. Those historic actions gave the ordinary working person new opportunities for true homeownership....

It’s time for us to think about the converting commercial leasehold lands in Hawaii to fee simple....

...politicians focus on flashy topics and grandiose declarations....

The Hawaii Senate 2016 Legislative Session will get underway on Wednesday, Jan. 20....

...the House Republican Caucus priorities for the upcoming session....

...a net increase of $297.6 million in FY 2017, an increase of 4.4%....

...Department of Health (DoH) officials faced scathing rebukes for doing their job well....

$104 million in omissions combine with mystery spending cuts to create unrealistic budget scenario....

"Public-Private partnerships are really hard."

Tuesday, January 19th, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM....

Report of the 13-person Working Group....

A federal jury on Tuesday found the state of Hawaii and the Hawaii Department of Transportation's airports division violated a former employee's civil rights....

...the department and HPHA inconsistently adhered to statutory reporting requirements for non-general funds and administratively created funds and accounts....

Gov. Ige proposes a 230 percent increase in the capital improvements budget for FY17 ...

The merger and transfer of Oceanic’s Hawaii franchises will not take place until federal regulatory review of the merger transaction is completed....

Don't worry.  It's only a $500M contract....

Under the IT governance process, projects must pass several review “gates” during four key phases....

The Office of the Governor is looking for individuals who are dedicated to continuing the State of Hawaii’s momentum toward a strong and sustainable future....

...Uncle Sam is giving us money. But we are not spending that money so the federal agencies are saying, “Looks like you don’t need this, so why should we give you any more?”....

The Hawaii State House and Senate are accepting applications for the 2016 legislative session....

Of 19 departments and agencies surveyed, 14 said capital improvement projects (CIPs) should not be handled centrally by the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS)....