Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'

...on January 9, after hearing OHA's biennium budget request, members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee raised questions about the progress of the independent audit of OHA and its LLCs. A similar question was raised the next day at the House Finance Committee....

...Senate President Ron Kouchi talked about how his “greatest passion was to create a Hawaii where each and every one one of our children could come home.”....

...The economic boom of the last few years allowed them to continue spending at high levels, and many of them would like to keep it that way....

... Perhaps most notable are the increases in the general excise tax on Kauai and Hawaii Island ....

...OHA's own audit for fraud, waste and abuse, contracted to an independent national firm, not only faced more than a year's delay in getting started, but is currently facing challenges, jeopardizing its timely completion....

...It’s too expensive.....

...Well, it’s Christmas season again, so here is what I drafted recently for Santa to consider....

...Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Keli‘i Akina today secured renewed commitments from OHA’s newly chosen Board leadership to finish the audit of OHA and its subsidiary LLCs for fraud, waste and abuse....

...here are some highlights from the past year at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs....

...economic freedom in Hawaii actually diminished during the latest measurement period, from 6.3 in the 2017 Index to 5.48. But economic freedom in certain other states declined even more....

...the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) gave the Office of Hawaiian Affairs a failing grade of ‘F’ for its online financial transparency....

...It’s time to open a real dialogue in our state and work together to find real and lasting solutions for education....

...the FTA has signaled its lack of faith in the project by withholding federal funds absent a recovery plan and setting a Nov. 20 deadline for the city to come up with $44 million — the initial payment on a $214 million obligation to HART....

...Out-of-the-box thinking for Hawaii's future....

...I am still deeply concerned about the amount of time it has taken to begin this audit....

...state policymakers are willing to commit to payments on the unfunded liabilities, but haven’t done much to curb the excessive spending practices that have led us to this point....

...advocates of the so-called education tax have been strangely quiet about how much it will be....

What’s in a title? If you’re a member of the Hawaii Legislature, opportunity....

...The best laid plans, we are told, often go awry ... “Especially when it comes to politicians counting on revenue from tax hikes.”....

...After months of delay, OHA and its LLCs will be audited for fraud, waste and abuse....

...on August 11, of 286,041 ballots submitted, 41.3% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee Oahu seats, and 49.6% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee At-large seat....

...In Hawaii, we are now looking at one of the most popular of all tax solutions: passing the costs to a nebulous “other.”....

...Following a career in the U.S. Air Force and then in the tech industry, Steve Lipscomb decided to throw his hat into the rink and run in the Hawaii Republican primary for Lt. Governor....

...The real value of $100 in Hawaii is $84.46. That’s less than it was in 2016, when the real value was $85.62....

...talk of “recovery plans,” new bonds and property tax dollars allocated to rail inevitably raises the spectre of new rail taxes....

...OHA Trustee Peter Apo speaks out boldly and reflectively on several hot potato issues, including audits and management of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs....

...This is why I am adamant about making sure OHA is audited thoroughly and its internal policies revised....

... what works, what doesn’t, and what might help Hawaii move out of its position as one of the nation’s worst “sinkhole states” ....

...What are the interests propping up this archaic legislation?....

...Rare insights into the problem of and solution to the bottleneck at Hawaiian Homelands....

...OIRA asked the public to weigh in on how regulations in the maritime sector could be modified or repealed to remove unnecessary burdens, increase efficiency or simplify compliance....

...there is one set of maritime regulations and laws that costs consumers and businesses millions of dollars every year....

Government employee unions around the country are grappling with the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME....

...Keli'i believes Sam is the candidate who will unite Hawaiians and reform OHA....

...To date, HART officials have not publicly explained why it has been recording the meetings between the auditor and HART employees....

...After over a year of endless delays and obstacles, the independent audit has not even started....

...On Wednesday, the Court handed down its decision in Janus v. AFSCME....

...What do volcanoes, trade wars, and housing bubbles have to do with each other? These are just a few of the economic topics with which many of Hawaii's policymakers are woefully unfamiliar....

...On Thursday, he introduced a bill that would even the playing field for taxis, to help bring their business model into the 21st century....

...The Grassroot Institute recently obtained a letter written by HART board member John Henry Felix to HART Chairman Damien Kim in which he also urged the board to call for a forensic audit....

...Hawaii does not perform well on the annual EFNA Index, ranking 45th out of the 50 states in terms of economic freedom....

...how the state government’s housing policies have gone up in flames....

...Regulating Paradise: Land Use Controls in Hawaii....

...Hawaii’s Legislature did not approve a higher minimum wage this year....

...Myth 1: It doesn't matter how the money was spent, as long as it was spent on Hawaiians....

...Saiki said that after passing last year’s rail tax hike, he feels like “the Legislature can do anything.”....

...look at how transparency goes by the wayside at the end of the session....

...OHA Administration was tasked with reporting back on the feasibility and timing of such a plan by June 30....

...In the latest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” Hawaii ranked 45th overall. One of the biggest reasons for that low ranking was Hawaii’s high level of taxation....

...At a time when many advocates of education reform are promoting greater local involvement in schools, Hawaii appears to be moving in the opposite direction....