Obscure federal laws could preserve birthright citizenship in Alaska, Hawaii, and Territories
Lawsuit Challenges “Dam Special Fund” Used to Undermine Constitutional Expenditure Controls
Aloha Stadium FAIL: NASED Lists Latest Excuses
May Tourist Count up 1%
Puna Meth Lab Busted
HECO Preps Power Safety Shutoff System for Dry Season
Green Signs State Budget
Visitors Donated Millions To Maui. Where Did It Go?
BH: … Relief efforts spread quickly across social media, websites (including ours), donation drives, and hotel front desks—many pointing to groups like Lahaina Strong and Our Hawaii as trusted places to help. Nearly two years later, however, a growing ethics complaint and mounting questions are casting doubt on where those Maui fire relief funds actually went….
according to state records, Lahaina Strong is a registered trade name of a for-profit company called Ka Hooilina O Laiku LLC.
That company does not have an active general excise tax license. On checking, we find it is not registered with the Attorney General of Hawaii for charitable solicitation and does not hold tax-exempt status with the IRS. Despite reportedly handling substantial contributions and merchandise sales, no financial disclosures have been made available to the public….
What remains unclear is whether those who donated ever knew they were supporting a private company and not a licensed nonprofit organization…
The complaint also includes screenshots of a now-deleted Instagram comment from Lahaina Strong organizer Paele Kiakona. In the post, Kiakona acknowledged being paid to lobby using funds from an affiliated organization called Our Hawaii. He stated that the money came from unnamed corporations and philanthropic sources and was intended explicitly for lobbying efforts.
The public may have believed they were donating to wildfire recovery. If those same funds were used to pay political advocates, then donors may have unknowingly funded a different kind of operation altogether….
Several Maui County councilmembers have shown public support for Lahaina Strong and its affiliated efforts. Councilmember Tamara Paltin displays a Lahaina Strong sign in her office. Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez has worn Lahaina Strong apparel at official events and helped introduce recent legislation targeting vacation rentals—one of the policy goals of Our Hawaii….
Rawlins-Fernandez also serves on the board of HAPA (Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action), which lists Our Hawaii as a coalition partner. HAPA has campaigned for the regulation of vacation rentals across the islands, positioning itself as a community advocacy organization. These overlapping roles between public officials, advocacy organizations, and donation-linked groups are among the issues raised in the ethics complaint now under review….
So far, Lahaina Strong, Our Hawaii, and HAPA have not provided any financial reporting tied to wildfire relief. The company behind Lahaina Strong remains out of compliance with state records. The County of Maui Board of Ethics has not announced a timeline for its investigation or released any findings….
RELATED: Ethics Complaint Exposes Ties Between Maui Councilmembers, Lahaina Charity Fraud, and Lobbyists
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Read … Visitors Donated Millions To Maui. Where Did It Go? - Beat of Hawaii
Senate GOP scrambles to save Alaska/Hawaii SNAP carveout
P: … Senate Republicans are racing to salvage a food aid carveout for Alaska and Hawaii in their policy megabill after the parliamentarian privately signaled the plan wouldn’t meet strict Senate rules as written.
The Senate parliamentarian Monday afternoon signaled that the provision, designed to appease Alaska’s GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, would need to be reworked. But she hasn’t issued a final ruling, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
The provision would allow Hawaii and Alaska to be temporarily exempt from the GOP’s controversial plan to make states pay for some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the first time, allowing those two states to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in new food aid costs.
Republicans are revising the provision with just hours to spare. The protections for Alaska will be key to keeping Murkowski’s and Sullivan’s support for the megabill….
Gov. Green details how cuts in Trump bill could impact Hawaii's healthcare
Sen. Amy Klobuchar questions ‘special treatment’ for Alaska, Hawaii in GOP SNAP proposal
Read … Senate GOP scrambles to save Alaska SNAP carveout - Live Updates - POLITICO
More Than $100 Million Cut From Hawaiʻi State Budget
CB: … Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green on Monday signed legislation appropriating nearly $40 billion for the state’s executive budget over the next two years.
But that amount was $110 million less than what was approved by the Legislature last month in House Bill 300. Most of it will come from the state Department of Education’s budget.
The reductions are due to uncertainty in federal funding and a lowered forecast for tax revenues by the Hawaiʻi Council on Revenues, according to a press release from Green’s office.
At a Civil Beat forum earlier Monday the governor said the biggest federal cuts — if they come — would probably be to Medicaid and food benefits programs.
The reductions are posted in a governor’s message sent to Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura on Friday….
SA: Green enacts $40B state biennium budget | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Read … More Than $100 Million Cut From Hawaiʻi State Budget - Honolulu Civil Beat
‘Dehumanizing Chaos’: OHA budget pits CEO against Chair of the Board
HNN: … The agency’s chief executive officer, Stacy Ferreira, accused OHA Board Chair Kai Kahele of creating chaos and demoralizing staff by making several last-minute cuts and increases to the budget.
Kahele, who previously served in the state senate and the U.S. House, has only been a trustee since December, but his efforts to remake OHA through the budget have created a revolt from the staff.
Several OHA managers took the unusual step of testifying against the agency’s budget and the process that led to it….
Elena Farden, OHA Director of Strategy and Operations, said cuts would inhibit progress to restorative justice, reducing recidivism and human trafficking….
Kahele said open government laws delayed discussion, and he was open to suggested changes, which kicked off hours of votes on amendments under a midnight deadline before the end of the 2025 fiscal year….
CB: Some trustees at the start of Monday’s meeting called for a stop-gap budget for July, which could give the board the rest of the month to hash out the rest of the two-year budget. But trustee Luana Alapa, who leads the board’s budget committee, withdrew that request after seeing the line-item voting process play out throughout Monday afternoon.
Read … OHA budget pits CEO against Chair of the Board
Immigration: Ed Case Thinks for Himself
CB: … most of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation accuse federal immigration agents of creating “fear and terrorizing communities” in the Aloha State in a letter to be sent Tuesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Rather than making us safer or more secure, your needlessly aggressive immigration enforcement has created chaos and confusion in our communities while raising due process concerns,” the letter said, signed by U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, and Rep. Jill Tokuda.
Notably absent among the letter’s signatories: Hawaiʻi U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
In response to requests for an interview, Case sent a statement that said while he agreed with many of the letter’s statements, it failed to capture his or the “mainstream” of his constituents’ views on immigration.
“The bottom line is that I believe the letter did not place concerns with specific ICE enforcement in Hawai’i in the broader context of the necessity of enforcing our immigration laws including addressing illegal immigration, and of comprehensively reforming a clearly broken immigration system,” the statement said ….
2006: Ed Case's 2006 "felony" vote: Greens vs. Illegals
Read … As Immigrant Arrests Rise, Hawaiʻi Political Leaders Condemn ICE Tactics - Honolulu Civil Beat
Prosecutors want ex-prison guard to serve 7 years
SA: … He previously pleaded not guilty to the allegations on Jan. 26, 2023, and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond ahead of trial, before he tried to run away.
On Dec. 3 Rivera was caught in the lobby of the Ala Moana Hotel after missing a hearing, the start of his trial and displaying “concerning behavior,” according to federal court records.
Rivera resisted arrest by deputies with the U.S. Marshal’s Service who caught him in the lobby of the Ala Moana Hotel where he had been hiding. His pretrial release status and conditions were revoked and he is in custody at the FDC, Honolulu….
Rather than face the victims in court, Rivera “did not return voluntarily despite repeated attempts” and had to be apprehended after a “days-long manhunt across Oahu.”
Only after that did Rivera admit to sexually assaulting the inmates and plead guilty.
“The defense doesn’t have any comment at this time,” Rivera’s attorney, Caroline Elliot, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Rivera worked at FDC Honolulu as a correctional officer starting in 2014 and continuing until September 2018….
Read … Prosecutors want ex-prison guard to serve 7 years | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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