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Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted December 12, 2025

Did Expose save Kouchi from $35,000 Bribe Prosecution?   Behind weird flip-flop on leaving Senate?

CB: … Should the Legislature investigate that suspicious $35,000 contribution to an unidentified lawmaker, which came to light during a federal bribery investigation? After all, the recipient of that money might still be serving in the Legislature. 

No comment (from Kouchi, Dela Cruz)….

House Speaker Nadine Nakamura at least responded publicly as signatures were being collected on a petition demanding that the Legislature investigate who secretly accepted a $35,000 gift in the ongoing scandal stemming from the bribery case.

True, Nakamura muddied the waters by simultaneously seeking consideration of a state investigation and asking federal prosecutors if such an investigation would hinder their ongoing work. It seemed like an invitation to the feds to try to squelch any state probe.

Meanwhile, Senate leaders said nothing.

“I would love for that to start being the focus of the conversation, because we don’t know that the person who took that money came from the House,” Hurt said “In fact, there’s good reason to believe that that person has some ties to the Senate.”

“So while the speaker’s initial response left much to be desired, she responded, she changed course, and she’s working with it,” he said. “I haven’t heard the Senate president express any type of concern about this, and that is lack of leadership.”….

TIMELINE:

Sept 12, 2024: Kouchi not running for reelection in 2026—Kawakami to take seat (Assume Kouchi has been given a ‘target letter’ or more.)

March 27, 2025: FBI Recorded Hawaiʻi Lawmaker Being Given $35,000 (“If you run this story, you’ve been told by the acting U.S. Attorney that it will endanger an ongoing operation.”) 

Aug 17, 2025: Kouchi Changes Mind—Will serve one more term as Senate President (Because, thanks to CB ruining/endangering the ongoing operation, Kouchi is home free.)

(REALLY OBVIOUS QUESTION: What will Kouchi give Omidyar for saving him?)

read … The Silence Of The Senate: These Legislative Leaders Simply Aren't Talking - Honolulu Civil Beat

Louie: Bill 9 will cost Maui ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars when it loses suits

SA: … Bill 9…has serious legal flaws and will likely cause substantial and lasting bad economic consequences for the residents of Maui….

For a moment, let’s put aside the many concerns raised regarding this measure, including an estimated loss of nearly $1 billion in economic activity each year, county tax revenue shortfalls of roughly $75 million annually, and whether local working families can afford these units. Lost in the debate of Bill 9 is the critical fact that the cost of potential damages claims could exponentially increase the financial consequences to the people of Maui by hundreds of millions….

Bill 9 attempts to eliminate the constitutionally protected and vested property rights of short-term rental owners lawfully recognized under the county’s Minatoya list. However, both the United States and Hawaii Constitutions protect such property rights, including the right to lease property on a short-term basis. These vested rights have been recognized and upheld by both state and federal courts in Hawai‘i. In 2022, the U.S. District Court for Hawaii examined the legality of a Honolulu ordinance that banned short-term rentals of less than 90 days and ruled that homeowners had a vested property right in the use of their homes for short-term rentals, as they had done for years.

While a recent amendment to state law grants counties authority to regulate short-term rentals, it isn’t a free pass to eliminate these preexisting uses. If Maui County violates the constitutional rights of property owners, it must pay just compensation to owners for the taking of or damage to such rights. If Bill 9 is enacted, owners will likely sustain huge losses of short-term rental use income and a substantial decline in property values. In other words, if Maui does not allow Minatoya list properties to continue operating as short-term rentals, Maui County could be liable for the financial burden of lawsuits and damages claims–not just tax revenue shortfalls….

SA: Maui County Council set for final vote on rental conversions | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

read … Column: Maui must nix short-term rental bill, or face suits | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Next Boondogle: Desalination plant on Oahu (again) nearing construction after three decades of work

SA: … Usagawa said the desalination plant wouldn’t be feasible or possible without the heavy federal support, given that the cost to produce desalinated water is more than twice as much as groundwater. …

(IDEA:  Drill a well.  The mountains are big bags of water.)

“We’ve been pumping essentially the same amount of water from 1990 until now,” Sue Shin, a BWS spokesperson at the time, said in 2008, according to an article in the Honolulu Advertiser. “It would be pretty irresponsible for us to use our rate payers’ money for something like desalination when we don’t need it.”…

BWS resumed work on the project in 2017 in part to avoid a financial penalty for not using the former federal land for its intended purpose….

“We been through a lot of pains,” Usagawa said, noting the water-quality treatment work took about a year and cost $5 million to $6 million.

In 2023, BWS awarded a contract to Kalaeloa Desalco LLC to design, build, operate and maintain a smaller plant to serve industrial business customers at Campbell Industrial Park, Kapolei Business Park and Kalaeloa Harbor.

Kalaeloa Desalco was formed by the Cayman Islands-based firm ….

Project funding is anticipated to largely come from the federal government. BWS has already received approvals for a $25 million grant stemming from federal coronavirus pandemic recovery aid and $19 million from the Bureau of Reclamation.

A low-interest loan of at least $55 million is being pursued from the EPA, according to Usagawa, who also said some BWS revenue from fees for new system connections also are to be used for the project….

(TRANSLATION:  Water bills going up.)

REALITY: Next Boondoggle: Useless $204M Kalaeloa Desalination Plant

read … Desalination plant on Oahu nearing construction after three decades of work | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Honolulu's Housing Problem Isn't Just Supply. It's A Process

CB: … Many of the city’s biggest land-use disputes follow a familiar pattern:

• A legitimate public objective is cited: affordability, supply, neighborhood protection.
• Regulations are adopted that place heavy burdens on a narrow class of owners or uses.
• Administrative findings are thin, generalized, or silent on legal constraints.
• Courts intervene, not to reject housing goals, but to reject how those goals were carried out….

read … Honolulu's Housing Problem Isn't Just Supply. It's A Process - Honolulu Civil Beat

Insurance Companies Interfere with Primary Care Doctors

SA: … Although primary care providers handle close to 80% of patient visits, only 3.6% of total health care spending in Hawaii goes to primary care. Many states are moving toward a requirement that 12% of health care dollars go to primary care. Other countries already invest 12% to 14%. Strengthening primary care saves money because early diagnosis and steady care prevent unnecessary ER visits and hospitalizations.

The data is clear. When people have their own primary care provider, survival improves by 10% to 20%. Overall health care costs drop by as much as 13%. Avoidable hospitalizations fall by 20% to 50%. The chance of late stage cancer decreases by 10% to 30%. But on the Big Island, we are seeing the opposite trend because we no longer have enough primary care.

In recent years, our insurance industry has added to the confusion by hiring unsolicited mainland agents who call Hawaii patients to diagnose or manage their conditions over the phone or by video. These contractors usually do not have access to full medical records and often do not notify the patient’s local provider. This undermines the doctor-patient relationship and increases the risk of inappropriate care….

The state Legislature can fix this. Hawaii should require that 12% of all funds intended for patient care be spent on local primary care. These dollars should reach the providers who care for our communities, not mainland contractors and administrative vendors. This is the clearest path to preserving local clinics, improving access statewide and easing the pressure on Honolulu….

RELATED: Supreme Court: Doctors and Patients May Skip Arbitration and Sue HMSA

read … Column: Support Hawaii’s primary care providers | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Governor plans $16.5M to cover loss of Obamacare subsidies here

SA: …  I have included $16.5 million in my proposed 2026 state budget to protect Hawaii families from a looming national health care disaster that threatens to strip insurance coverage from thousands of our people: expiration of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits at the end of 2025.

These enhanced tax credits, in place since 2021, are the reason millions of Americans can finally afford decent coverage through the ACA marketplaces. If Congress allows them to expire, more than 4 million people nationwide are projected to lose their health insurance. Average premiums on the exchanges will jump by more than 75%, with some states seeing premiums more than double. …

read … Column: Governor plans $16.5M to cover loss of ACA subsidies here | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Selling Out On College Sports Is The New Career Plan

CB: … we are in a new era where Hawaiʻi lawmakers are being asked to hand over $5 million so that the University of Hawaiʻi can pay student athletes with taxpayer money to play for the university, and where local businesses are being encouraged to make individual deals with athletes to promote their products.

Scrappy is no longer valued. Scrappy is for scrubs….

(CLUE:  See next story below.)

read … Lee Cataluna: Selling Out On College Sports Is The New Career Plan - Honolulu Civil Beat

Surveillance video shows post-game assault on high school athletics official

HNN: … A surveillance camera in the parking lot outside the Moanalua High School gym recorded the incident that happened last Thursday night, when Aukusutino Noga, 40, allegedly assaulted Moanalua High School associate athletic director Natalie Iwamoto.

(CLUE:  These parents are suuurrre their kid will make it big in NFL if ONLY the local athletic officials would stop conspiring against him.)

Lyle Hosoda said Iwamoto has dedicated over 20 years to student athletes and is highly regarded in the high school athletics community.

Hosoda said Iwamoto was accompanying basketball referees to the parking lot when the incident happened.

“She felt that she should take them to their cars because of things that happened during the game,” Hosoda said.

The video appears to show the Nogas confronting Iwamoto and the referees as they try to leave. It shows the man identified as Noga punches Iwamoto as she walks backward, away from him, and falls over a small child.

“You’ll see that the wife gets up and is pointing and is talking directly to Ms. Iwamoto. And then Mr. Noga, right here ... he just punched her. And she lands on the ground,” Hosoda said as he watched the video.

“She was lying there for over ten minutes.”

According to Hosoda, Iwamoto was helped by the Moanalua basketball team trainer and one of the referees but remained unconscious. Meanwhile, the attacker stays on the scene until police arrive, nearly 13 minutes later.

Eventually, officers take the man into custody….

read … Surveillance video shows post-game assault on high school athletics official

On-demand ride service could replace least-popular Maui Bus routes

HJI: … Two Central and Upcountry Maui Bus routes with the lowest ridership in the system could be replaced by an on-demand, flexible ride service that works like a hybrid between Uber and a public bus with the same public bus rates. 

“Microtransit” is an alternative form of transportation that would allow people to request trips by phone or smartphone app within a specific zone and share a ride with other people traveling in the same general direction. …

read … On-demand ride service could replace least-popular Maui Bus routes - Hawaii Journalism Initiative

Gun Control Nuts Give Hawaii High Marks

CB: … Hawaiʻi got an A in the most recent scorecard from the national gun control organization, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The state is known for its strong gun laws and the law center was even happier that the Legislature earlier this year enacted a safe storage law. …

read … The Sunshine Blog: Some Helpful Advice For When Public Discourse Goes Awry - Honolulu Civil Beat

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