Entries for the 'Hawaii State News' Category

... the two largest PEO's lobbied successfully for the passage of a PEO bill....

“We want to remind the community that all sea turtles are still protected, and that both State and Federal consequences apply to anyone harming a green sea turtle,” said DLNR Chairperson William J. Aila, Jr....

CGEI Wind is jointly owned by Good Energies and Champlin Windpower, LLC and is lead by Mike Cutbirth. Mike was formerly head of Global Finance for Zond Corporation and Enron Wind and served 4 years ....

In its report on next year’s Pentagon budget, the House Armed Services Committee banned the Defense Department from making or buying an alternative fuel that costs more than a “traditional fossil fuel.” It’s a standard that may be almost impossible to meet ....

The ACLU is seeking an immediate court order that will affirm the Plaintiffs’ right to get married....

In celebration of her 59th birthday, Governor Linda Lingle will be honored by supporters at Birthday Bash events on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu....

Yesterday the Hawaii Republican Party lost one of their Giants....

The state originally imposed a fine of more than $5 million … Health officials say the water didn't pose any immediate or significant risks.

For a family of four, premiums on even one of the lower priced "silver" options could still cost more than $15,000 annually on the exchanges....

The State of Hawaii has a long history of refusing to count military personnel and their families when reapportioning the Hawaii State Legislature....

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012
• Senate: Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012
• House: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012
• House: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013

They sniff out bombs, patrol dangerous explosive zones, and put themselves in harm's way to protect our soldiers. Yet military working dogs are currently classified as "equipment" by the Pentagon and are sometimes left behind ....

“This is Mufi Hannemann’s pet project that he abandoned to run for governor, quite unsuccessfully I might add,” Marx began. “Now it appears another Honolulu politician, Tulsi Gabbard, has decided to take Mufi’s reigns and put the state deeper into financial crisis by supporting a $450,000,000 ‘paper’ loan,” Marx stated....

Kanohowailuku Helm reports about IAM's visit to the slippery corridors of the state Capitol, where four IAM delegates survived initiation into the bizarre rituals of Hawaii lawmaking....

... there is a huge reservoir of pro-life, pro-family registered non-voters and non-registered voters who can be reached ....

 ...the electorate is growing more and more sensitive to the rising burden of taxes and fees of the past few years as lawmakers attempted to balance the state’s budget on the back of taxpayers....

... three hundred delegates gathered at the Hilton Hawaiian Village today for the 2012 Hawaii Republican Party Convention.... 

Working together to create jobs will bring Hawaii’s economy back. That’s the independent record that Linda Lingle has built....

DC status quo defenders have contributed about $700,000 to Mazie....

• Derrick H.M. Chan
• Daniel R. Foley
• David M. Forman
• Craig H. Nakamura
• Richard W. Pollack

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of a new Director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and a change at the Public Safety Department (PSD).

The drag from construction and government will end this year, setting the stage for broader growth....

Almost two years ago today, we made history by winning a historic special election....

The lawsuit argues that the Equal Protection Clause guarantees representational equality as well as voting equality....

Starting May 9th, the Leadership Institute will be returning to Hawaii with world-class campaign training for conservative candidates....

For Honolulu, this means that the $250 million that the Obama Administration had set aside for our rail project will just disappear. It also means that New Starts Funding as a national program may also disappear....

Governor Neil Abercrombie today ordered that all national and Hawai'i flags at all State offices and agencies as well as the Hawai'i National Guard are to be flown at half-staff ....

Her latest missive is not surprising to the people of Hawaii, as it is simply the latest example of what the public knows already: Mazie puts partisan politics before people....

Hawaii's achievement level is at or above 22 percent Proficient, up from 17 percent in 2009...equivalent to Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and West Virginia....

State grades were based on a rigorous examination of state law for adherence to guiding principles developed by national child welfare experts using a 100-point grading system....

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the first intercept of a short-range ballistic missile target ....

Bateman, a retired US Air Force Colonel (JAG), former Assistant Attorney General for Washington state and attorney in private practice for 30 years, now owns the Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee farm, which he has operated for the last seven years....

"Like me, the U.S. Chamber recognizes that the time for partisan bickering is over. We must work together to establish bipartisan solutions that will help boost our economy" -- Linda Lingle

The Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the names of the Navy’s recently acquired high speed ferries (HSFs); the USNS Guam and the USNS Puerto Rico....

One of the guards slept through the ordeal, and another sat in a chair with a towel draped over his head, Cocklin says. 

...

"...we cannot have high-quality schools without adequate funding...." -- Wil Okabe

Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) that address recent March 2012 storm damage to highways and roadways as well as implement safety improvements throughout the state’s transportation system....

On May 8, 2012, the state released the first draft of its strategy to transform its information technology and business processes....

Overall, 1.2 million people, or 0.4 percent of all people in the United States, identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), either alone or in combination with one or more races. This population grew by 40 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma and Utah all earned A+'s for their friendliness towards small businesses. In contrast, small business owners gave California, Hawaii, Vermont, and Rhode Island an F....

"As a Congressman and member of the Chickasaw Nation, Congressman Cole has made providing indigenous people, including native Hawaiians, the means for self-determination, self-governance and self-reliance a legislative priority," said Gov. Linda Lingle.

We are also pleased to report that the most onerous measures of 2011 and 2012 – House Bill 441, House Bill 834, House Bill 2028 and Senate Bill 2975 – all died upon adjournment of this legislative session....

Why start the first year with 500 releases? I also question whether we will have the necessary programs and personnel in place for Year 1. Will drug and alcohol treatment, counseling, vocational training, or halfway houses be ready?

Hawaii is a harbinger for what's to come in both caregiving and LTC ....

This 2012 edition of Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect marks the 21st year the AFL-CIO has produced a report on the state of safety and health protections for America’s workers....

The Bill passed 22-3. Out of 25 Senators, there were 10 who voted "yes, with reservations." Honorable Senators, what does that even mean?

OPEIU represents nurses throughout the United States under the umbrella of the OPEIU Nurses Council and recently affiliated the 4,000-member Hawai'i Nurses Association (HNA)....

...production companies only remain in-state until tax conditions are made more favorable elsewhere....

Among the problematic policies are ... policies that force student clubs to accept voting members and officers that don’t agree with the clubs’ beliefs....

A political watershed is formed when the benefits of incumbency flow down hill to a new generation....

A highly compensated Bishop Street executive recently complained that his effective state tax rate was something on the order of 16% even though the nominal maximum state income tax rate is 11% for those folks making big incomes....

The aforementioned circumstances raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern….

The Hawaii State Senate adjourned on this final day of the 2012 Legislative Session, passing many bills in support of its priorities set forth at the beginning of the session....

The U.S. Department of Education said Friday it would keep Hawaii on "high risk" status for failing to carry out education reforms it promised in return for a $75 million grant from the federal government....

Just a day after her last legislative day at the State Capitol, Representative Kymberly Pine will pull her papers today at 11:30 a.m. to run for the City Council District 1 seat....

"I am encouraged that yesterday the Hawaii State Legislature passed SB 2785, which establishes a regulatory framework for the private investment in, and development of, an inter-island electricity transmission cable."

State's April 2012 Monthly Energy Trends Report has just been released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism....

With the end of the 2012 Legislative session today, hundreds of measures now come to Governor Neil Abercrombie for his approval....

The Hawaii House of Representatives took action Thursday on its final bills of the session....

Republicans in the State House of Representatives successfully led the way in opposing a series of bills that would have resulted in lasting damage to our environment....

"As candidates for HSTA President, we had our disagreements. However, we both agree that asking teachers to reconsider the January settlement proposal is in the best interest of Hawaii's teachers and children." -Paul Daugherty & Wil Okabe

Pre-Trial is a threat to public safety. Releasing thousands of prisoners cannot be taken lightly, and the current process for early release is inadequate....

... supported by Delegate Gregorio “Kilili” Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands), the top Democrat on the Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs ....

...

Religious freedom, suicide, gambling, LBGT curriculum, and trangender birth certificates ....

...the House Conferees battled down to the last six minutes to protect churches who did not want to be involved with civil unions....

HB2175, HB2099, HB1875....

In a statement to a local reporter, Hirono's spokesperson said that her campaign travel itinerary took precedence over her duty as a Congresswoman to vote ....

Government interference in the sugar market hurts consumers and food manufacturers by driving up the price of sugar, threatening competitive farmers and ranchers by jeopardizing export growth, and weakening the U.S. economy by diverting resources from more competitive uses...

In 2009, the shift to biotech crops reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 17.6 billion kilograms, equal to the removal of 7.8 million cars from the road for a year....

The State Legislature has passed three groundbreaking bills to curb the growing cyber crime trend in Hawaii. The bills were the result of the cyber crime informational briefing co-chaired by Representatives Kymberly Marcos Pine and George Fontaine.

Representative Thielen's amendment required that, by 2020, food grown in Hawaii for local consumption would double from the amount which was grown in the state in 2014....

As the nation’s hospitals rush to adopt new health information technologies such as computerized medication prescribing systems, the potential for such advances to inadvertently result in harm to patients remains a major challenge ....

Governor Abercrombie, HECO and some House and Senate members are now finalizing legislation that would allow the project to fast-track without sufficient environmental analysis or public review....

The certification process has become a restrictive bottleneck, damaging the industry it was intended to protect....

“Society should protect and strengthen marriage, not undermine it as this lawsuit seeks to do,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Holly Carmichael....

Robles, 18, was there as a condition of parole for the juvenile crimes of sex assault, theft and runaway charges, according to the complaint.  The family claims that the home failed to supervise the two boys despite house rules that required curfews and bed checks every 20 minutes on overnight shifts.

Hawaii Christian Coalition presents its annual Prayer at the Capitol May 3, Thursday 6:30-8:00pm State Capitol Auditorium....  

• Senate: 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012
• Senate: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011
• House: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act
• House: Interest Rate Reduction Act

Horizon wishes to assure the Jones Act industry of its fidelity and that it will not succumb to the siren call of Jones Act reform even if that means it will never have a chance to rationally renew its fleet of dreadful old clunkers....

“Mr. Gill explained that ... Hawaii’s primary election law is out of compliance with the freedom of association provision in the U.S. Constitution. In order to rectify this error, a lawsuit must be filed and Mr. Gill asked UHPA to consider supporting this federal litigation.”

... but a bill for Hollywood Moguls' Tax Credits appears dead, and a sneaky attempt to foist another HCEI-style set of 'goals' on Hawaii has been thwarted ....

They were welcomed by our vibrant MC, Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape....

Seven Hawaii high school teams, and one independent elementary school team, are competing in the 2012 FIRST Championship robotics competition at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO....

...the tax incentive did nothing more than skew the economic cycle and created the feast and famine of construction activity....

Robert Thomas, a Director with Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert in Honolulu, concentrates his practice on property and land use issues including eminent domain, regulatory takings, water rights, and voting rights....

In response to my article, a reader asks: “We get all the natural gas we need now. How does it get here? The article makes it sound impossible, but it’s here.”

"I will support Congressional investigation efforts into the TSA policies and guidelines and will advocate for practices that maintain security while not sacrificing the personal dignity of our residents and visitors." -- Gov. Lingle

Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF), parent company of Central Pacific Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income for the first quarter of 2012 of $13.5 million....

"I was paying close to $1,000 in annual dues. After I won that case, I started paying about $100. I didn't want to pay for the things that I'm not obligated to pay for like giving money to political candidates...."

“I’m trying to think, but nuttin’ happens!” -- Curly Howard

Ted Liu stepped-up as Chair of the Event and with single-minded determination, energy and hard work, led its success....

Will programs to help the prisoners adjust be in place the first year when most of the prisoners are let out? 410 will be released the first year, 384 in the 2nd year, 257 in the 3rd year, 111 in the 4th year, 29 in the 5th year, and 4 in the 6th year for a total release of 1,195 prisoners over 6 years....

Abercrombie jumps the gun to claim credit for something that wasn't his doing ....

The top five states ranked by per capita in 2011 were: California, Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, and the District of Columbia ....

 ...

Private clinics and pharmacies have whispered among themselves for months about suspending services due to non-payment of millions....

...imminent storm that is about to occur due to simultaneous implementation of multiple programs that will create extraordinary financial and administrative burden as well as mass confusion for physicians...

Professor Stiglitz explained that the first time the Jones Act came to his attention is when he worked on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and it was identified as a major impediment to the national U.S. economy....

Hawaii’s 2012 Plan is not just “substantially” different from population, it is grossly deviant.

They died April 19, in southwestern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the UH-60 Black Hawk they were in crashed.

One person saw an opportunity with the demise of the German tax shelter: Relativity Media founder Ryan Kavanaugh....

Assess2Know will allow Hawaii to evaluate students' performance using thousands of measures in alignment with instructional objectives and Common Core State Standards, which were implemented in 2011....

• Senate: Cloture Motion; Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012
• House: Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012
• House: Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II
• House: Small Business Tax Cut Act

The state Department of Human Services (DHS) has posted for public comment a draft proposal for a demonstration project that would integrate healthcare services for clients enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid....

The Hawaii Health Connector, which was established to create and oversee the state’s health insurance exchange, will begin the first phase of the information technology (IT) system next week as the result of a contract with Public Consulting Group (PCG) of Boston....

To turn out their vote this fall, Hawaii Democrats are claiming that Hawaii will decide the balance of power in the US Senate. But in reality Hawaii's Senate election will determine whether the Aloha State will have a voice on the majority side of the aisle or will suffer decades of obscurity with low-seniority Senators of the minority party .... 

For 2012 HSTA has deleted several questions from 2010 including their call for legislators to de-fund services for severely disabled students in violation of the Felix Consent Decree.

The Hawaii harassment statute, which Fisher had violated ... includes not just violent touching but “any slight touching of another person in a manner which is known to be offensive to that person.”

While some of the slowness of government action is certainly attributable to the laws and regulations that have been layered upon year after year, a good part of the blame lies with the reality that many in the public sector do not want to make decisions purely out of the fear that the decision might be wrong....

Rep. Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai – Kalama Valley) will host a "Talk Story" with constituents in his district at Maunalua Bay (next to the canoe halau) this Saturday April 21 from Noon to 2 p.m. Food will be provided....

The Hawai‘i State Senate has confirmed the appointment of four new members of the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents effective July 1, 2012, and renewed the appointment of two Regents....

Judge Hara ruled that the HSTA, Mr. Beekman and Mrs. Wilson had no standing ....

... Hawaii Employees' Retirement System, Honolulu, is searching for up to three domestic large-cap equity managers to run a total of about $1.2 billion, according to sources ....

Scheduled as follows, open house starts at 5:30 p.m. with formal presentation to start at 6:30 p.m....

...

DW Aina Lea Dev. LLC v. State of Hawaii Land Use Comm'n, No. 11--1-0112K ....

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the release of more than $34.2 million for various Capital Improvement Projects ....

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the recent appointment of Jo Ann Uchida Takeuchi as deputy director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). She fills the vacancy left by Everett Kaneshige....
 

"The campaign's real slogan is: 'No Debates; Just Watch My Commercials'.

"I'm glad to see this small business bill pass the House, with the support of 18 Democrats, and disappointed that Congresswoman Hanabusa voted against it," stated Former Congressman Charles K. Djou....

... the public utilities commission shall consider the costs and benefits of a diverse fossil fuel portfolio and of maximizing the efficiency of all electric utility assets to lower and stabilize the cost of electricity....

 This "early release bill" amends current state law in a manner that can affect neighborhood security. With 1100 inmates released in the first 3 years of the program, there will be some recidivism, some crimes and many victims....

Saturday, April 21 9AM at Kaka‘ako Gateway Park

 According to Opensecrets.org ....

2012 graduation dates, times, and sites for Hawaii's regular public, charter, and adult community schools ....

U.S. and British officials were deeply suspicious of this outfit, observing that the AASF – though backed by singer (ands Communist Party member) Harry Belafonte and actor Sidney Poitier – had links to a Kenyan nationalist leader….

The Hawaii State Board of Education (BOE) today unanimously approved three policies related to performance evaluation systems for teachers and principals....

President Barack Obama has an ambitious plan for Washington bureaucrats to take command of the oceans—and with it control over much of the nation’s energy, fisheries, even recreation ....

...

...these laws were passed primarily to restrain politicians from being reckless with public resources, not to restrain the private sector....

“Voters have a legal right to choose who represents them,” Thielen said. “A small group in a Party cannot secretly and arbitrarily veto that choice. I am a member of the Democratic Party. Hawaii law allows me to run for public office as a democratic candidate.”

There are no Jones Act ships available to transport the LNG from the contiguous United States or Alaska to Hawaii. No deep draft LNG carrier has been built in a U.S. shipyard for at least 30 years....

We have spoken with two Oahu based hospitals and have not been able to come to an agreement with them at this time....

Bishops from California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah began their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican with prayers for courage in defending religious freedom and in sharing faith in the risen Lord.

Tibet's spiritual leader says China's 'totalitarian' policies sparked Tibetan self-immolations....

The 4th annual Honolulu Tea Party Tax Rally will be held on Monday, April 16, from 4-7 p.m at the Hawaii State Capitol....

• HSTA: “You Cannot Expect Better Results”
• Inouye, Akaka, Hirono, Hanabusa: "Hawaii is making Significant Progress"

The Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has established a database of actively practicing non-military physicians in Hawaii....

This bill blatantly violates several constitutional protections, such as protection of Hawaii’s streams and consideration of cultural impacts. If passed, litigation may be inevitable.

I will advocate for meaningful, comprehensive tax reform that brings down the rate for all taxpayers while retaining the most important deductions such as the mortgage interest and charitable contributions. Through these reforms, we will actually collect more revenue with a much broader tax base ....

One of the reasons why there is growing taxpayer cynicism about the work of lawmakers is the earmarking of revenues for specific programs which in many respects has little relationship to the source of the funding....

In the same week that Gov. Linda Lingle hosted Sen. Susan Collins, one of the nation’s most bipartisan leaders, Mazie Hirono has opted to campaign with Congressman Barney Frank - the poster child for the hyper-partisanship in Washington, D.C....

The annual Rich States Poor States report is out. Hawaii ranks 15^th for economic performance and 46^th for economic outlook.

Hawaii ranks number one with the highest prevalence of high school students who have considered suicide. How can we prevent and discourage teen suicides if we pass legislation condoning ending one’s life ....

DOA (Department of Agriculture) concerned that overnight accommodations would dramatically alter concept of agricultural tourism as originally intended and could cause agricultural tourism to be primary, rather than secondary, land use....

OEQC further noted that this measure is unnecessary and because of its ambiguities, omissions and conflicting purposes will cause confusion in the manner in which Chapter 343 is interpreted and administered, which would as a result, lead to an increase in future lawsuits against the State....

The NTJAR initiative would exempt just the Jones Act noncontiguous domestic trades – Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and Puerto Rico – from the U.S.-Build requirement of the Jones Act and only for large self-propelled oceangoing ships....

Ed Case has accepted ten Senate debate/joint appearance invitations from media and community organizations across Hawaii, while his opponent, U. S. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, has accepted none ....

On Wednesday, April 4, the naked truth behind this land grab was revealed at the State of Hawaii Cable Advisory Committee hearing in Oahu. The members, made up of appointees from each county, did not like what they saw. Let’s just call it, Oceanic Time Warner’s dirty little secret.... 

In order for government agencies such as Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Administration (HART) ... to be effective, they must first keep the lines of communications open to the citizens they serve.... Promotional products are an integral part of this process....

Days after the Hawaii Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor replaced anti-dogfighting language from a House bill designed to deter dogfighting with a broad range of regulations for dog breeders and pet stores, the Hawaii State Senate is expected to vote on the new measure ....

The seven credit card companies that have been named as defendants are Bank of America, Barclays, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover, HSBC, and their subsidiaries....

The campaign raised $1,351,876.38 between January 1 and March 31, 2012, bringing the total funds raised in this election cycle to $3,119,186.27. 

Sunday, May 20th, 2012, at "Skygate Park," the festival grounds fronting the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building - Koko Head side of Honolulu Hale.

The lands are and will remain under the jurisdiction of the Hawai'i Community Development Authority (HCDA), and will continue to be subject to HCDA’s zoning and other land use conditions. The lands will be conveyed “as is,” “where is.”

Blas's resolution asks Congresswoman Madeline Bordallo to introduce legislation exempting the non-contiguous states and territories from the provisions of the Jones Act....

... a Supreme Court decision protected out-of-state businesses from revenue-hungry states. But a new bill working its way through Congress would change all that ....

The national yearly cost for assisted living has increased 5.7 percent a year over the past five years, while long term care costs in Hawaii have increased 13.4 percent a year....

At the conference, Defendants agreed that substantial questions of constitutionality require the convening of a three-judge court....

"True leaders would not exempt themselves from a law they are creating for others to follow," said Rep. Kymberly Pine, Minority Floor Leader....

“Horizon Lines moves forward today from a stronger financial position that will enable us to better focus on customers in our core Jones Act trades and to invest in the future of our business....

This bill has the wrong title. It should be called Relating to Closed Government. Passage of SB 2858 will roll back more than 20 years of openness and sunshine ....

At present, the new biorefinery is expected to churn out five barrels a day...thanks to ... the $25-million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant that made the project possible....

For some 400 years before European settlers arrived, ancient Hawaiian societies caught as much fish as modern fishers or more - without fishing the reefs to depletion....

As of the end of February, the Hawaii GOP had $29,000 in the bank in federal funds and was carrying over $100,000 in debt.

An investigation by the inspector general of the General Services Administration found rampant abuse of an employee awards program of the agency’s Pacific Rim region, the same region that has come under fire for spending more than $800,000 on a Las Vegas training conference for 300 employees. 

Unlike most states, Hawaii taxes working-poor families deeper into poverty, and it charges them higher tax bills than all but four other states....

Despite the campaign rhetoric lawmakers chant over and over during the campaign season that Hawaii voters can trust them as representatives of their constituents, it seems that there is a growing cynicism that lawmakers cannot be trusted.... 

"... S1409, the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act, would create greater oversight and accountability in federal spending .... "

A zero score would indicate that the Member of Congress approved every spending proposal and opposed every pro-taxpayer reform....

We are left to guess the initial refining partner – though it is not difficult to surmise that Tesoro has been the test partner to date, and presumably would be the first to license and deploy the process....

The State of Hawaii has a long history of refusing to count military personnel and their families for purposes of reapportioning the state legislature. A lawsuit filed today asks a three-judge federal court to enforce the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and require the State to count all residents of Hawaii.

If you ask how "a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary" squares with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, let us explain ....

"...legislators passed out a teacher evaluation bill that would effectively strip teachers of the collective bargaining rights ..." -- Okabe

...

The Hawaii State House, with 17 ‘no’ votes has transmitted to the Senate a resolution calling for convening of a US Constitutional Convention....

The combined effect of these regulations and grant requirements are that a state would have to agree to surrender any last vestiges of meaningful control over how Obamacare is implemented. Thus, a state would now have no more real control over an exchange it set up than over one HHS established....

Hawaii State Representative Kymberly Pine today announced her candidacy for the Honolulu City Council District 1 (Leeward Coast) ....

Senator Blas introduced a resolution that requests Guam’s Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives to introduce legislation to exempt Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska from the U.S. Build provision of the Jones Act....

Former Governor Linda Lingle, candidate for Hawaii's open U.S. Senate seat, will host U.S. Senator Susan Collins at a special luncheon at the Sheraton Waikiki on Wednesday, April 11 from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m....

The Mormon vote in Laie is reminiscent of the margins that Democrats often pull in inner-cities. It’s pretty stunning.

• Rafe Trickey
• Edward T. Knudson
• Erika L. Lacro

...even the most basic attempts at experimentation have to wait endlessly for federal approval and many are rejected....

...politicians of all colors and persuasions have used these one time or another....

Members of PACAID with current licenses and prescribing privileges for controlled substances can serve a consulting role to patients and their doctors, and write a prescription for life-ending medication if the primary physician declines to do so ....

During the Committee meeting, the DOE noted that annual savings of $12 million to $15 million may be achieved as current contracts expire and are replaced with contracts that offer contractors the opportunity to lease buses from the DOE....

Private health insurers generally don’t limit hospital coverage ....

Three interceptor ships near Japan and the Philippines, as well as U.S.-based interceptors, are ready to shoot down the North Korean missile if space-, land-, and sea-based sensors determine its flight path is targeted at the United States or U.S. allies....

Governor Neil Abercrombie today made more nominations to several boards and commissions including the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Land Use Commission....

Only six agencies responded that in order to track cell phones, they must first get a warrant or have probable cause: County of Hawaii, Hawaii; Honolulu, Hawaii; Wichita, Kan.; Lexington, Ky.; Lincoln, Neb.; and North Las Vegas, Nev....

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011
• Senate: Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act
• House: Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2011
• House: Surface Transportation Extension Act
• House: Democratic Alternative Budget
• House: Fiscal 2013 House Budget Resolution

The Hawaii state legislature has taken dead aim at NAFTA and the provisions it requires of the state, and the protections it affords Canadians who make cross-border investments in vacation rental properties….

More than a thousand ships and barges will reach the end of their useful lives in the next few years. More may be forced out of service as environmental standards tighten....

Hawaii banks and Hawaii’s housing sector largely avoided subprime lending....  But Hawaii’s political leaders are working to change all of that. 

For more than a dozen years now, lawmakers have been touting the tax credit bandwagon....

“In my interview, they actually suggested I run for office as a Republican and then convert to the Democratic Party,” Thielen said.... “One person on the committee asked, ‘Would you bring your mother into the Democratic Party?’”

"The Ex-Im Bank is critical to help U.S. companies to access financing to support the exports of their goods and services abroad. In fact, 85% of Ex-Im Bank's transactions directly supported small businesses last year."

...he did not want to leave his medical colleagues at the hospital short-handed.  "He didn't eat (on shift), he didn't pee, he wasn't going to say 'I need to take an hour off to go to therapy,'" said Mrs. McCaddon....

...

Honolulu Tea Party Rally Event, April 16, 2012, Monday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm ....

Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has selected a site across the street from the West Hawai`i Civic Center for the new judiciary complex in Kona....

Hawai`i Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald is seeking applicants for Chair of the Hawai`i State Elections Commission.

NRA instructor liability protection legislation has been scheduled for a hearing in the state Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor this Monday, April 2, at 10:00 a.m., in conference room 16 of the State Capitol....

TARP, provided Central Pacific with a $135 million financial lifeline in the midst of the recession but will be collecting only about $74 million from selling its Central Pacific stock .... 

...actual growth was up 2.5 percent over a year ago (207,298 visitors per day in February 2012); and an adjusted total visitor spending of $1.061† billion would still be 4.7 percent above February 2011 levels....

Less than one year ago, Congress formally recognized that "the failures of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped precipitate the deepest economic decline since World War II."