Entries for April 2023

... this is not easy to find ....

... will you be fooled this time? ....

... Hawaii Legislators are hell-bent on taking away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners--but when a real gun crime occurs, its 'nobody here but us chickens' ....  

... In the meantime, lawmakers have been figuring out how to bypass conventional learning about when a bill is dead. Here is one example ....

... The debate illuminates the split that has recently emerged between back-to-nature eco-justice environmentalists and early embracers of technological innovation ....

... no votes were cast this week, but several bills were introduced .... 

... SB1057 would hurt the people it is aiming to help by hamstringing those who are best able to help them — their potential employers ....

... Upcoming Legislative Deadlines ....

... The Disciplinary Board oversees the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which investigates allegations of attorney misconduct ....

... Michelle L. Drewyer to serve as Circuit Court Judge for the Second Circuit, to fill the vacancy created by now-Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. ....

... The Senate's version of HB300 for the biennium budget covering fiscal years 2024 (FY24) and 2025 (FY25) includes appropriations of $11,652,494,699 and $9,942,927,794 in general funds, respectively. Additionally, the bill allocates $19,840,434,756 in FY24 and $18,151,811,832 in FY25 for all means of financing. ...

... HB 426 has been transmitted to Governor Josh Green’s desk for his signature ....

... Weekend schedule, free online reservations implemented due to current staffing shortage ....

... Each of these factors is influenced directly by state lawmakers through the legislative process ....

... HB1255 and SB1476 in support of $20 million Special Purpose Revenue Bond (SPRB) for West Maui Hospital ....

... Senate President Ronald Kouchi said members of the conference committee would be named at a later date ....

... conveniently, Mr. San Nicolas is a Commodity Inspector with the GDOA, one of a handful of trained and sworn law enforcement officers within that division....

... Resolution No. 2023-33 will establish the real property tax rates for fiscal 2024 ....

... how Hawai'i can reduce the costs and the improve service quality of its various mass transportation systems ....

... These bills now head back to the Senate for their consideration ....

... Topics covered in the survey include unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy; protective factors; mental health and suicide; dietary behaviors; and physical activity ....

... Cullen accepted bribery payments on eight (8) separate occasions over the course of several years ....

... 'EveryTown' is an anti-gun organization backed by billionaire Mike Bloomberg ....

... House Bill 426 and Senate Bill 1230 ....

... Wealth tax, proposed simultaneously in seven states including Hawaii ....

"...A majority also support creation of new offenses criminalizing fraud and corruption by public officials and employees...."

"...HTA’s statutory authority lacks force .... HTA did not have sufficient authority or resources to require others to help carry out (the) plan...."

... votes cast and bills introduced in Congress ....

... Testimonies submitted to the state Legislature, Honolulu Council, and Maui Council by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii during the past week ....

... only one Senate committee, Ways & Means, will be entrusted with the fate of all three bills ....

... Hawaii has the highest electricity price, nearly triple the US average rate, and the state relies on imported petroleum for 60% of its electricity generation ....

...  The bill will now move to the full Senate for a vote ....

... In Honolulu, $100K amounts to just $36,036 when you consider taxes and the cost of living ....

... No one likes the idea of our county governments profiting from Hawaii’s high cost of living.  But that’s what is going to happen soon unless we engineer some property tax relief ....

... Akina said Hawaii home prices are sky-high because of the scarcity of housing caused by “all the regulation … that developers and individual home builders have to go through in order to renovate or in order to build.” ....

... The debt burden has recently been rising due to GOULT bonds issued for construction of the rapid transit system ....

... Administratively, the Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission will be managed by the City’s Department of Planning and Permitting ....

"... The prohibition of residential development via a 'perpetual easement' has too adverse of an impact on the future value of Hakuone lands ...."

"...what you’re really doing is just shifting the visitor impact around, and you’re creating new issues of congestion and use....”

... but you can settle for emotional well-being at $111,600 ....

... This unanimous ruling will allow any Hawaii governmental body to hide its corrupt dealings in bogus ‘Executive Sessions’ simply by paying a shyster to sit in and twiddle his thumbs ....

... DLNR pays $9000/mo for ‘security’ at Uncle Billy’s and somehow can’t keep the bums out.  Obviously this raid is timed to support the DLNR’s request for $12.5M to demolish Uncle Billy’s.  First Rule of Bureaucracy: “Maintain the problem” ....

... The Internal Revenue Service issued guidance today on relief payments ....

... The number of total positive COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased over the past week (3/26 – 4/4) from 39 to 74 patients, which is an 89.7% increase....

... motivating these businesses—or at least certain aspects of their business—to locate elsewhere ....

... impractical and legally dubious ....

... to provide input for the 2023 State Hazard Mitigation Plan ....

... Volunteer members of these Boards and Commissions serve for staggered terms ranging from four to five years .... 

... Your rates will be going up to pay for the infrastructure we need to make irregular and erratic wind and solar electricity less damaging to our grid ....

... In most US metro areas, millennials are buying homes at prices above the general market.  But in Honolulu millennials are buying homes 4.2% below the market average.  This is the biggest downside gap in any of the 56 large metros studied ....