Representative George Fontaine discusses Hawaii Drug Courts with Chief Judge, Judge Shackley Raffetto from Maui and Judge Michael D. Wilson from Oahu....

After the second crossover this week, 393 bills are still alive at the Legislature as lawmakers are trying to find every means possible to come up with a balanced budget, even ways that stand a good chance of being challenged in court....

the legislation would suspend the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals sole jurisdiction over federal employee whistleblower cases for a period of five years....

Hawaii’s VEX Robotics students will join more than 570 robotics teams representing 14 different nations to compete for the World Championship.

... here is a slice of today’s news which once again makes it crystal clear that birtherism is designed to help Obama ....

Hawaii has one of the highest State Tax Rates in the United States, and yet the State Legislature is considering many new increases in taxes including income, excise, and other fees.  Are you Taxed Enough Already?

An internal HGEA memo sent to the membership earlier this week ties the HGEA’s tentative settlement to the Legislative agenda and promises that HGEA will enjoy “equity with other unions” who will likely settle their contracts after the Legislative session is over. 

 In an effort to save their careers, two pro-life pharmacists have fought an extensive legal battle asking the state to respect their religious objections to providing Plan B, an abortifacient drug. Last Wednesday, a circuit court upheld the rights of the two professionals....

If we pass this measure today, we will have our "foot in the door" to start taxing the pensions of all our seniors. We may end up taxing pensions at $10,000 or $5,000 or maybe at no threshold at all. If we returned to the Governor's original proposal of a $37,500 threshold, it will be harmful to our low-income seniors. 

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan made the following statement after listening to the President’s speech on deficit reduction....

Senate Bill 1329 in its current form will increase the cost to register an average car, which weighs up to 4,000 pounds, from $30 to $70 per year.

Berg’s proposed resolution – adopted unanimously in the Council's government affairs committee two weeks ago – was voted down six to three amid concerns that most council members found the timing of Berg’s “message sending” resolution too risky ....

The poll, conducted by SMS for developer Jeff Stone, was taken among 700 voters statewide between March 18 and April 3. The margin of error was 3.7 percentage points.

 This is the old-boy response to Ed Case claiming to have made up with Inouye.

While much of this has been in the national news, what most journalists and commentators have overlooked is the decisive role a handful of pro-market think tanks and Tea Party activists played in putting these projects in the morgue.

 Surveillance video shows the would-be robbers using a hammer, a shotgun and their feet to try to get into the case Saturday night as bystanders scattered about the Zales store at the Waikele Premium Outlets on Oahu.

The bill reduces funding for transit by a total of $991 million ....

Winston criticizes in particular the now-under-construction Dulles Airport rail line that will become a part of the Washington, D.C.–area transit system, noting that the route is not cost-effective. He characterizes cost overruns on the Dulles rail line and the soon-to-be-under-construction Honolulu rail line as “inevitable”....

"This resolution is intended to empower the City Council to reverse the astonishingly twisted priorities of the administration and the misguided transit team."

This article is obviously planted in POLITICO by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to foster the illusion that Ed Case has it all wrapped up.

• Consolidated Theatres Kahala 8 4211 Waialae Avenue #3080, Honolulu, HI 96816
• Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 735 B Iwilei Road, Honolulu, HI 96817

Human life advocates have achieved yet another victory in state public policy. On April 1, the Hawai'i House Health Committee deferred HCR 71 regarding universal human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

This Congress was sent to Washington with a simple mandate from the American people: cut federal spending and get government under control.  Friday night's budget compromise to avert a government shutdown embraced these principles, but also left plenty of work to be done.

“Our concerns have only intensified following our debriefing meeting with the City last Monday and as we thoroughly reviewed the documents that were made available to us."

Romney-- "It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington"

• Senate: Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011
• Senate: To ban EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions
• House: Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011
• House: Net Neutrality Disapproval
• House: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011

I would have thought this track record would have been enough to put an end to Case's political ambitions, but ambition is what defines Ed Case—ambition, and douchiness.

The last time Hawaii had a real conversation about reforming the civil service system was in 1999 lead by then Democrat Governor Ben Cayetano.

Sen. Sam Slom on Friday proposed eliminating about 1,500 jobs and about 500 vacant positions as a way to reduce government costs....  Slom's bare-bones budget would cost $4.4 billion in general funds, a $500 million decline from the current year's budget and $1 billion less than the House's proposal.

This video of Abercrombie announcing the HGEA contact April 7 looks like a news conference, and was billed by the Abercrombie administration as a news conference, but it wasn’t. 

 If the Molokai landowner is incapable of participating in a viable plan for the island, the state is willing to exercise its right (sic) to condemn lands for this public (sic) purpose....

Obama declared the damage sustained from the March 11, 2011 tsunami a major disaster, which enables the State of Hawai'i to receive federal funding for repairs

April 5, 2011 Behind the News - Becky Norton Dunlop of the Heritage Foundation on Obamacare and America's Future….

The new agreement with the HGEA will increase state labor costs by at least $65 million a year, the House Republican Caucus announced. And the agreement gives state workers up to 9 additional paid days off of work per year.  This comes on top of 13 days paid vacation and 21 days of sick leave per year.

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle says the Comp Time and the elimination of scheduled furloughs counterbalance the 5% wage cut and amount to a 1.5% raise.  The Grassroot Institute estimates the cost at more than $100M over the course of the contract.

But “Comp Time” is not Abercrombie’s only omission....

The HGEA contract, which will not be made available to the public until long after it is passed, does not reduce the state budget, but based on what the union representatives and the governor have reported thus far, it will increase the cost of government by more than $100 million.

This project uses tax and rate payer money to enrich a privately held corporation. It bills itself as “green” when it is actually a corporate boondoggle to put a billion dollars every four years into one man’s pocket.

In messages being sent to the HGEA membership, HGEA bosses describe the tentative agreement as including “administrative time off.”  This confirms the report in today’s Star-Advertiser, “Public workers would also get an additional six hours of paid time off each month, according to sources.” 

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced that more than 50 Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) have been initiated as part of his New Day Works Projects to create jobs and stimulate the economy....

Hanabusa, Hirono oppose House continuing resolution which keeps the federal government operating and ensures federal employees will receive a paycheck, including those of our military men and woman serving in harm’s way ....

 A poll done for the Daily Kos by Public Policy Polling showed that Abercrombie is down to a 48% approval rating. This is after receiving almost 58% of the vote last November.  In addition, this poll seems to have under-sampled Republicans ....

S.675, the 2011 version of the Akaka Bill, passed a voice vote of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee today.  The next stop for the bill would be the floor of the US Senate  No version of the Akaka Bill has ever passed the Senate.

Those highlighted in yellow have voted to increase the most regressive of all Hawaii taxes.  The hike in the GE Tax will hit low and middle income consumers hard.  Save this list for November 6, 2012.

With the prospect of a government shutdown looming, some in Congress have rightly devoted special attention to ensuring our military remains fully funded....  

 Later this afternoon, the House Armed Services Committee will hear testimony from leaders in the armed forces on the impact of last year's repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."