Hawaii State Government

The majority of these bills, along with House bills passed by the Senate, will go into conference committees where House and Senate conferees will negotiate differences in the measures and determine which will be presented for final consideration....

Here is a complete list of the bills under consideration for Third Reading before Crossover....

...Grassroot President Keli’i Akina and Policy Director Malia Hill consider the relationship between think tanks and the development of free market solutions....

...the Kobayashi Group is an investor in a hui that plans to build one or more luxury developments in Kaka’ako....

...sometimes the Legislature feels like a Whack-a-Mole game, where you knock down a bad bill, only to find the contents pop up again in another bill....

...The new (to the State) application is expected to save money, improve security, and enhance sustainability (everybody else has been doing this for years, but hey) ....

$38,213,000 – Honolulu Community College Advanced Technology Training Center, Oahu....

...highlighting those bills that champion taxpayers and residents; and bills that affect our rights and freedoms....

...highlighting education proposals, spending, and reforms....

Constitutionally, the state can only engage in annual deficit spending as long as there are enough cash reserves to absorb these deficits....

Video traces a bill through Hawaii's legislative process....

Two dozen civil lawsuits have been filed during the past two years in what state lawmakers initially intended as a one-time opportunity....

If they do not have the votes, they will keep deferring the bill until they get the right mix of senators to pass the bill....

We also found instances where multiple funds were combined as a single fund in reports and did not include specific details of individual funds or accounts....

Representatives Aaron Ling Johanson, Minority Leader and Beth Fukumoto Minority Floor Leader present a mid-session legislative report for 2014....

The downward forecast means that the state has now fewer projected revenues that could be used to fund some of the proposed spending initiatives....

$27,695,000 – Kamamalu Building Renovation, Oahu....

...both the Governor and the House budget drafts are not in balance....

...$64.7 million for various capital improvement projects (CIP) that will help stimulate....

The House of Representatives today approved HB1638 HD2, appropriating $161,137,650 for operating expenses and $50,590,000 for capital improvement costs of the Hawaii State Judiciary....

...At this point last year, the House had reduced the Governor’s budget by almost $600 million....

The council projected zero percent growth for the fiscal year that ends in June, down from 3.3 percent....

Meanwhile: Get Medicaid? Lose Kupuna Care....

...Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Finance will conduct a joint informational briefing on Chapter 42F, HRS grant applications....

"If it is confirmed by me that a future incident of this nature has occurred, whether at the Capitol or elsewhere, I will immediately remove you from all committee assignments...."

The governor may not be following the legislative process closely....

This is the same worthless job Abercrombie gave to shut Gary Hooser up back in 2011....

In preparation for the first crossover deadline Thursday, the Senate today held a long floor session to move bills out of its chamber so that it may crossover to the House of Representatives....

The House now stands in recess and will reconvene to take action on final measures for third reading on Thursday, March 6 at 12 p.m....

News Releases from Office of the Governor ....

Click on the bill number for Text and Status....

The body now stands in recess and will reconvene to take action on additional measures up for third reading next week on Tuesday, March 4th at 9 a.m....

...although some funds have been repealed or are no longer active, their appropriation accounts have not been closed and balances remain....

“Government wants a coordinator for all of life’s risks,” Slom said. “Taxpayers should not fall for more bureaucracy.”....

...topics as varied as the illusory nature of the state budget surplus and the demands of rail....

Dr. Rosen’s appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation....

The Hawaii legislature publicly debated and then rejected a pair of Azerbaijan-initiated anti-Armenian measures....

How vibrant Hawaii’s fiscal health is depends on who you ask....

...examining allegations of administrative abuses and an ongoing failure to provide a safe work environment at the Hawaii State Hospital....

...Abercrombie today announced the appointment and promotion (resignation) of Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia as Chief Advisor for Technology and Cyber-Security (CIO), effective Feb. 18, 2014....

"I will be out of the office starting 02/07/2014 and will not return until 04/30/2014....."

Hawaii legislators set to hear a bill to combat fraudulent lien filings on February 11, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. in room 229 at the Hawaii Capitol....

Watch the Senate committee system falling apart....

Initiatives include studies for a space exploration R&D park, international flight training center and a laser optical communications ground station in Hawaii....

These bills have been set up on the front burner of this year’s legislative agenda after the pre-empted initiative to “Let the People Vote” during last year’s “not -so-special-session” on same-sex marriage....

Two important bills (SB2153 and SB2519) that promote greater fiscal transparency and protections for Hawaii's taxpayers passed the Ways And Means Committee today....

"Well, I’m always pleased to share credit when people realize they can’t avoid their responsibilities anymore...." - Abercrombie