Hawaii State Government

...Thursday March 5th is the 2020 Legislative session first crossover....

...See all 2019 and 2020 House bills that have crossed over to the Senate this session....

...Emergency preparedness in Hawaii....

...Projects total $4.9 billion for fiscal years 2020 and 2021....

...Reckless state spending is exhausting our emergency reserves....

...Experienced aviators Rick Rogers and Bill Enoka have been identified as the two killed at Dillingham Airfield Saturday, February 22, 2020, when their Cessna crashed on takeoff.  Captain Rogers forwarded this letter to media outlets Wednesday, February 19, 2020.... 

...We reviewed 99 House and Senate bills proposing 63 special and revolving funds during the 2020 legislative session. None satisfied the criteria....

... will Sen Taniguchi block this bill as he did last session? ....

...House cuts funding for TMT enforcement from state budget—Ige Wanted $65M to Not Enforce Law on Mauna Kea....

...the state is staring at a looming major debt crisis, projected at the moment to total $88 billion over the next 30 years....

...Will 2020 be the year of an Hawaii Airport Corporation?....

...Federal aid is allocated to states for a variety of purposes, primarily to supplement state funding for programs or projects deemed to be of national interest, such as Medicaid payments, education funding assistance, infrastructure assistance, and more....

...establishing a remote legislative access program that would allow individuals to present oral testimony at legislative committee hearings....

...Dillingham Airfield Can be Better off Without Airports Division....

...The Hawaii State Senate today confirmed William J. Aila to be Chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Department of Hawaiian Homelands and Tyler I. Gomes to be Deputy....

...from the Honolulu Republican Party....

...nanny-state proposals, unconstitutional overreach bills and social engineering schemes....

...the U.S. Army got unexpected news from the DOT on Jan. 23....

...how Hawaii can avoid its looming major debt crisis, projected at the moment to total $88 billion the next 30 years....

... from the Honolulu Republican Party ....

...there is a plethora of requests for “special funds” in the 2020 Legislature....

...a case for the Hawaii community to focus on “the future fiscal capacity of Hawaii state and local governments.”....

... List of present and future hearings ....

...The State’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget for FY2019 was $2.02 billion....

...What ails Hawaii is too much government and too much spending. The last thing we need is more of the same....

...4,161 bills and resolutions (including carry-overs from 2019) have been recorded as of January 20, 2020....

...the Hawaii State Senate’s new Anti-Harassment Policy....

...the elephant in the room—the cost of living—got a little larger and harder to deal with each year....

...DBEDT had non-general funds with balances totaling $5.75 million and administratively created non-general funds with balances totaling more than $750,000 that were not reported to the 2019 Legislature as required by HRS....

...In FY 2019, total State tax collections were $8.28 billion, a 4.8% increase from FY 2018 which were $7.9 billion....

...Ige plans to “boost” the construction industry by increasing the number of public works projects....

"...legislative package of bills to reduce income inequality...."

...Common Cause Hawaii will be holding a meeting about the 2020 Hawaii State Legislative Session on Saturday, January 25....

...When you’ve dug an $88 billion hole, you need to stop digging....

...Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urges the Legislature to rein in spending and taxes....

... The lawsuit could have far broader implications for the AG’s office given the large number of national cases the Hawaii AG’s office involves itself in.  How many of those cases are driven by the profit interest of private law firms? ....

...Will we see the same issues arise in 2020 or will there be new ones?....

...The deadline to submit grant applications is 4:30 p.m. January 17, 2020....

...After failing in the Legislature four times, maybe the fifth time will be the charm....

...NPS, which administers federal funds to SHPD, designated SHPD a high-risk recipient in 2009....

...The project is the largest capital improvement project in Hawaii harbors history....

...The Supreme Court of Hawaii will take over the Common Cause / League of Women Voters' gut-n-replace appeal. The transfer order was filed today....

...Ige’s proposed $15 billion budget for fiscal 2021 is headed toward a fiscal cliff because it would draw on the state’s financial reserves, leaving the state unprepared to deal with a recession....

...tax hikes coming....

...the name game is at the heart of the Legislature’s practice of “gut and replace"....

...Here's the motion we filed today....

... Fitch Ratings upgraded the state’s general obligation bond rating from AA to AA+ ....

...Census error in Hawaii to result in $12M compact funding loss for Guam....

...Hirai has served as executive director of the Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC), State of Hawai‘i since 2013....

...our state is underutilizing this money on a consistent, year-to-year basis....