Hawaii State Government

... 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 ....

... The following measures have PASSED the first crossover and are moving to the Senate ....

... update on the state budget and the Majority Caucus' legislative priorities ....

... Gov. Green became Hawaiʻi’s ninth governor on December 5, 2022 and has since managed to fully staff his office ....

... the revenue that did materialize was spent in a flash ....

... The Hawaii Legislature is halfway through its 2023 session ....

... four House Republican Bills Cross Over to Senate ....

... The Princeville Public Library will receive $2 million ... Kaua‘i High School will receive $1.5 million ....

... The intention is not to immediately spend the money ....

... 'Crossover' is March 9, but any bill not out of committee by today likely will be dead ....

... how are Senators burning your money? ....

... The following measures are moving through the legislature ....

... House Rules 29.1–29.3 and 62.5–62.6 incorporate CISC recommendations relating to ethics reform, ethics disclosures, standards of conduct, and conflict of interest ....

... Why are some agencies opposing them? ....

... Luke Evslin will serve House District 16 (Wailuā, Hanamā‘ulu, Kapaia, Līhu‘e, Puhi, portion of ‘Ōma‘o) on Kaua‘i and Trish LaChica will serve House District 37 (Mililani Mauka, Mililani Town, Koa Ridge and Waipi‘o Gentry), on O‘ahu ....

... since taxes are not being cut, lets spend this money ....

... Japanese celebrate a festival known as Setsubun.  While there are regional variations on how to celebrate it, many of them involve roasted beans and an Oni, or demon ....

... factors that contribute to the state’s high cost of living, such as its high cost of housing, high taxes, boondoggle projects, shortage of medical professionals and more ....

... Hawaii isn’t doing so well ....

... two bills advance, five deferred ....

... will the Senate kill these bills? ....

... Grassroot Institute of Hawaii so far has submitted more than 20 pieces of testimony on bills relating to issues ranging from housing to healthcare ....

... Our Legislature’s 2023 session is definitely cranked up now ....

... bureaucracy and red tape have become a major barrier to affordable housing in Hawaii ....

... we have high hopes for a few ideas that could make a real difference for our state ....

... Hawaii lawmakers introducing consumer privacy bills and biometric privacy bills ....

... Most compelling was the governor's proposal to increase tax deductions and support open records, but all the talk about spending was worrisome ....

... Gov Josh Green, State of the State address, January 23, 2023 ....

... About 16,300 members of the COFA lived in Hawaii, according to numbers from fiscal year 2022 ....

... The only question is whether they have the political will ....

... Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ....

... 156 bills are on the current docket to be introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate ....

... Luke Meyers is joining the Office of Governor Josh Green, M.D., as the State Disaster Management Advisor (SDMA), with Col. (Ret.) James D.S. Barros named as the new Administrator for the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) ....

... On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature will convene ....

... two dozen community and media organizations suggest changes that could be implemented by executive order ....

... The list is directly from the HGEA’s email to members earlier this week, January 9, 2023 ....

... Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s “wins” over the past year ....

... the important thing isn’t money for the sake of money, but whether it’s being used wisely to make our lives better ....

... TikTok is known to be mining and storing in China the identities and private information of up to 200 million Americans ....

... Reps. James Tokioka of Kauai and Ryan Yamane of Mililani will resign their seats in the Legislature and start in their new positions next week ....

... fireworks auditing, cigarette tax stamps, ranked choice voting ....

... more than 20 briefings to be held between Jan. 10 and 24 ....  

... Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2023 ....

... Hawaii is the fourth-worst state in the country when it comes to requiring occupational licenses ....

... revenue will continue to fall short of spending absent policy changes ....

... Governor Josh Green, M.D., First Lady Jaime Green and the Washington Place Foundation will carry on a 164-year tradition by hosting a Christmas Open House at Washington Place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, December 16, 2022 ....

... With these selections, Gov. Green has now identified a Director for every state department ....

... finalized committee assignments ahead of the 32nd Legislature ....

... Governor Green recently announced the appointments of key cabinet and executive staff leadership roles, signaling the most expeditious assembling of a gubernatorial administration in the state’s history (behind a Carpenters Union chief of Staff) ....

... A total of 606,674 Act 115 refunds were issued, totaling $307.9 million. That includes 288,590 direct deposits and 318,084 paper checks ....