Editorial: Reevaluate landfill site restrictions Star Advertiser N/A January 28, 2025 Original Article The search for a new Oahu landfill site, an issue that has roiled city leadership for years, is still unsettled, and lawmaking underway at the Legislature should be aimed at finding a path to a solution. So far, a collection of bills at the state Capitol is not close to achieving that goal. Legislation seems more aligned with the Honolulu City Council’s adamant opposition to placement of a landfill above an aquifer, a noncontroversial and politically safe move. Given the recent history of threats to water supply — the disastrous leak of fuel from the Navy’s underground Red Hill storage tanks leaps to mind — it’s easy to understand why. The city is currently considering acquiring 150 acres of agricultural lands near Wahiawa, located over an aquifer. On Wednesday, the City Council is expected to weigh Resolution 3, which would reaffirm a 2003 Council policy barring siting a dump near sources of fresh groundwater. Members are not expected to reverse that position now. However, Oahu is confronted with a reality check: Strict regulations that seek to safeguard the aquifer have made squaring that circle all but impossible. Keeping guardrails is rational, but the time has come for some reform to Act 73, the state law that put those guardrails in place. Or at the very least, open discussions for reform. Act 73 was passed in 2020 as Senate Bill 2376, which established that “no waste or disposal facility shall be located in a conservation district except in emergency circumstances where it may be necessary to mitigate significant risks to public safety and health.” Even with such circumstances, under the law, the emergency would not be authorized for more than three years. It would be hard to argue with that. If there is any give within Act 73, it may be within the law’s second section, which defines buffer zones that must separate a facility such as a landfill from the conservation district. At least one of the measures introduced this session, House Bill 748, would reduce the buffer zone from one-half mile to one-quarter mile around the landfill. Lawmakers should consider that seriously, among other proposals that could reasonably improve the chances of finding an acceptable landfill site. By contrast, the Senate seems headed in the opposite direction. Senate Bill 550 would add a restriction against siting a landfill “near or above” an aquifer, as determined by state health officials in consultation with county boards of water supply. That makes sense, but the bill also would enlarge the buffer zone set in Act 73 to a full mile away from conservation lands. None of the bills had been scheduled for a hearing as of Monday, but whenever they do come up, lawmakers need to examine what elements of Act 73 could be relaxed and whether that would yield further possibilities for a landfill location. In addition, legislators should seek a public appearance by military representatives to address the issue. In the past, military officials have not shown enthusiasm for making any Department of Defense property available when approached by Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration. It is worth a reevaluation now. State Sen. Mike Gabbard rightly is insisting on more precise figures from the Navy specifically about the acreage of its Oahu land holdings, and how much of that is not over an aquifer. Good questions. And even if state lawmakers can’t convince officials to change policy, voters need to know the reasons — particularly given the past history of Navy stewardship of natural resources. Before the city proceeds with the purchase of the Wahiawa site, better used in active farming, it is essential that every landfill alternative site is reviewed — as well as constraints that might be reasonably eased. The public deserves no less.

Major Reform Bills Are Still On The Table. Will This Be The Year They Pass? Honolulu Civil Beat By Patti Epler, Richard Wiens, Chad Blair January 26, 2025 Original Article On Election Day, voters on Oʻahu waited hours in line to cast their ballots in person at one of the only two voter centers operating that day. The centers had to stay open well beyond the mandatory 7 p.m. deadline, delaying the first election results until after midnight . It wasn’t the first time. Since transitioning to all-mail voting in 2020, state and county officials have routinely short-changed the system for those who want to vote in person. The painful process of standing in line to cast a ballot has repeated itself for at least three election cycles. Now, state lawmakers have responded to the public frustration and introduced at least five bills this legislative session to require counties, particularly Honolulu, to open more centers on Election Day. More than 200 of the 3,000-plus bills filed this session — the deadline was Thursday — are again seeking ways to make government more accountable and transparent, or at least work more efficiently. As with the push for more voter centers, lawmakers are responding to public outcries on a number of headline-grabbing issues — from problems with allowing money to influence state contracts to government seizure of assets before being convicted of a crime to cracking down on allowing kids to bring cell phones to school. This year we are continuing our effort to track measures that work to improve — or in some cases back away from — government accountability, transparency and ethical leadership. “Let The Sunshine In ” started two years ago when a special House Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct proposed more than two dozen improvements to laws relating to ethics, campaign finance, elections and other government practices. Much has been accomplished, but, as this year’s raft of proposed legislation shows, there is still a lot left to be done. The Foley commission, as it came to be known because it was headed by retired Judge Dan Foley, was appointed after two veteran state lawmakers and a couple of Maui County officials were convicted in federal court of charges related to accepting bribes from a Honolulu businessman. For years, he had been paying them to sway legislation and, in Maui County’s case, steer lucrative contracts for wastewater management to his company. Then the FBI got wise to it, setting off a political drive to put in place the kinds of accountability measures other states have had for decades. In 2023, lawmakers passed many of the Foley commission recommendations, including strengthening the investigation of and penalties for government fraud, reforming key areas of the political process like lobbying practices and campaign financing and generally reducing the power of money in politics. But a number of the toughest reform measures — stopping pay-to-play practices by government contractors, full public financing of elections, prohibiting campaign contributions during legislative sessions, more transparency of political relationships, among others — were left on the table . The same proposals surfaced again in the 2024 session and again failed to pass. Rep. David Tarnas, who chairs the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee which has jurisdiction over most of the political and government reform measures, said in a recent interview that lawmakers have made significant progress in the last two years. He ticked off the list of Foley commission measures that got through the first year and called that “a very useful guide.” He pointed to a handful of recommendations that have been a tougher sell politically, such as applying the state’s open meetings law, called the Sunshine Law, to the Legislature, which exempted itself years ago. Reducing the cost of providing public records, eliminating campaign contributions during session and using public money to help candidates run for office are other measures he hopes to revisit this year. Tarnas said he has been eyeing a Connecticut law that regulates political donations, especially campaign contributions from companies that are seeking to do business with the state — the classic pay-to-play situation. He planned to introduce a bill that builds on the Connecticut model. Several other measures also have been introduced that seek to control influence by contractors and nonprofits that rely on the state for grants and business. The problem gained new urgency after an investigative report by Civil Beat and The New York Times detailed tens of millions of dollars that have flowed from contractors to candidates over the past decade, and the blatant soliciting of political money through late-night parties and other fundraising efforts. Other issues that got no traction in the last couple years are coming back this year not only as bills but also as proposed constitutional amendments, which would give the public the ability to vote directly on an issue. Lawmakers generally have refused to allow any significant public policy measure to go to the ballot and Hawaiʻi is the only Western state without a statewide citizens initiative process. A Special Commentary Project Yet numerous legislators have signed on to ask voters to weigh in on term limits, legalizing marijuana, a year-round Legislature, the retirement age of judges, abortion rights and even the right to a clean environment, among other issues. When it comes to good government bills, Democrats and Republicans are often on the same side. And the list of accountability measures this year includes many that are co-sponsored by members of both parties. In the House, a new bipartisan Good Government Caucus has been organized and members have teamed up to push for improvement in legislative and political practices including paying to hire an investigator for the Campaign Spending Commission and tightening restrictions on money flowing into candidates and campaign committees. We’ve pulled together a list of the 200-plus bills and their sponsors that we’ll be tracking this session, organized here by subject matter so it’s easier to follow. The brief descriptions are just that — shorthand for what the bill is basically about. Please use the highlighted link to go to the bill for the details. We plan to update this list periodically so save this story and check back to see what progress, if any, has been made. Some are already set for hearings in the coming week so check the committee hearing schedule for both the House and the Senate for times. Civil Beat’s List Of Sunshine Bills ELECTIONS Increasing the number of voter service centers HB 259 – Requires each county council district to have one voter service center and have it open on election day. —Alcos, Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Olds, Reyes Oda, Ward HB 297 – Requires each county council district to have one voter center and the center is open on election day. —Pierick, Alcos, Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Reyes Oda, Shimizu, Ward HB 601 – Increases the number of voter centers and funds them. —Garcia, Pierick, Ward SB134 – Counties with populations of more than 500,000 to get three more voter service centers. —Kim, Aquino, Chang, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Kanuha, Keohokalole, Kidani, McKelvey, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura SB 1240 – Increase the number of voter service centers. —Awa, Chang, DeCorte Voter registration HB 408 – Office of Elections package: extends time to register for voting by mail to 10 days before primary rather than 30 days. —Nakamura SB 275 – Elections Commission package: Extends time to register for vote by mail to 10 days before primary rather than 30 days. —Kouchi HB 473 – Creates voter registration program to automatically preregister or register youths 16 and older in public, charter and private schools. —Lee, Amato, Belatti, Hashem, Holt, Hussey, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kila, Kusch, La Chica, Marten, Miyake, Olds, Pierick, Poepoe, Sayama, Takatama, Takenouchi, Tam, Tarnas, Todd SB 78 – Makes an application for voter registration part of certain state agency application processes. —Rhoads, Chang SB 81 – Requires the Department of Human Services’ Med-QUEST division to automatically transmit applicants’ voter registration information to the Office of Elections and clerk of the county of the applicant’s residence. —Chang, Rhoads, Moriwaki HB 322 – Requires the Department of Human Services to automatically transmit voter registration information for any Med-Quest applicant. —Kapela, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kusch, Miyake, Perruso, Poepoe, Tarnas, Todd Elections and election practices SB 114 – Establishes presidential preference primary elections for the 2028 election cycle. —Rhoads, Chang, Lee, Fukunaga SB 335 – Requires a political party’s objection to a candidate nomination to be determined by the Office of Elections. —Chang HB 104 – Challenges to election nominating papers by party officials to be determined by the Office of Elections. —Tam, Iawamoto, Kitagawa, Marten, Perruso, Takayama SB 176 – Changes the criteria for mandatory recounts. —Rhoads SB 780 – Requirements for disqualifying candidates from the ballot and challenging them. —Rhoads, Chang, Richards HB 134 – Requires elections officials to provide an electronic system for filing nominating papers. —Quinlan, Chun, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kila, Kitagawa, Kusch, La Chica, Lamosao, Marten, Matayoshi, Olds, Pierick, Poepoe, Reyes Oda, Souza Voter issues SB 435 – Voter guide: Requires Elections Office to notify voters about voter guide and make it available 21 days before primary and 50 days before general. —Rhoads, Chang, Gabbard SB 1030 – Specifies that voter fraud and intimidation includes carrying a gun at a voter center or polling place. —Lee, Chang, Rhoads, Wakai, Ihara HB 767 – Expands ballot curing period from five to 13 days. —Souza, Amato, Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Marten, Matsumoto, Perruso, Poepoe, Reyes Oda Legislative vacancies HB 1078 – Provides governor with discretion to not fill a vacant legislative position if the vacancy occurs 120 days or less from an upcoming primary. —Nakamura SB 5 – Governor can fill a legislative vacancy by appointment for the rest of term and the next term. —Inouye, Chang, Fukunaga, Hashimoto, McKelvey, Fevella SB 300 – Governor has to fill legislative vacancies by a certain deadline or Senate president or House speaker can do it. —San Buenaventura, Chang, Fevella, Moriwaki SB 1397 – Provides governor with discretion to not fill a vacant legislative position if the vacancy occurs 120 days or less from an upcoming primary. —Kouchi Elections Commission and oversight HB 141 – Elections Commission members to be confirmed by Senate. —Tam, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Marten SB 948 – Would make members of the Elections Commission subject to Senate approval. —Chang SB 1515 – Replaces the boards of registration with on-call circuit judges to hear elections disputes. —Kouchi HB 1435 – Replaces the boards of registration with on-call circuit judges to hear elections disputes. —Nakamura SB 1555 – Adopts the Code of Fair Campaign Practices that candidates may use as a guide for their election campaigns. —Ihara HB 23 – Elect the Insurance Commissioner. —Ilagan CAMPAIGN FINANCE State contractor donations HB 371 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Restrictions on donations from contractors and grantees, company and organization officials and their family members. —Nakamura SB 257 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Restrictions on donations from contractors and grantees, company and organization officials and their family members. —Kouchi SB 809 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Contractor and grantee donations restrictions. —Rhoads, Fukunaga, Gabbard, Moriwaki, Richards HB 765 – Prohibits contributions from contractors, officers, consultants and family members. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Marten, Matsumoto, Perruso, Reyes Oda HB 1336 – Amends the prohibition against contributions to a candidate committee or noncandidate committee by state and county contractors to include state and county grantees and the owners, officers, consultants, and joint account holders of a state or county contractor or state or county grantee. —Iwamoto, Amatto, Belatti, Cochran, Perruso, Souza, Matsumoto HB 894 – Prohibits state contractors from donating to or soliciting donations for noncandiate committees and political party committees. —Tarnas, Amato, Evslin, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Kapela, Kusch, La Chica, M. Lee, Lowen, Marten, Olds, Perruso, Poepoe, Reyes Oda, Souza, Takayama, Tam, Todd Other campaign contributions HB 372 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Prohibits campaign contributions to elected officials during session. —Nakamura SB 258 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Prohibits campaign contributions to elected officials during session. —Kouchi HB 149 – Requires corporations to provide shareholders with a report of independent expenditures and political contributions. —Tarnas, Belatti, Iwamoto, Marten, Perruso, Poepoe, Quinlan, Souza, Tam HB 369 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Return excess campaign funds or they go to the state. —Nakamura SB 255 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Excess campaign contributions to go to state if not returned within 30 days. —Kouchi SB 1593 – Unused campaign funds couldn’t carry over to subsequent election and would go to the state after a certain period of time if not used. —Awa, DeCorte HB 769 – Creates a Democracy Dollars program to provide vouchers for voters to be able to spend on candidates. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Perruso, Souza HB 662 – Repeals exemption for use of the candidates own funds, makes contributions by family members subject to limits, amends loan amount from candidate or family. —Kila, Evslin, Lamosao, Takenouchi HB 772 – Disallows use of campaign funds to buy two tickets for fundraisers. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Matsumoto, Perruso, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Souza HB 1190 – Repeals the authority for campaign funds to carry over to subsequent elections. —Iwamoto, Perruso, Pierick HB 1478 – Establishes new requirements for identifying certain top contributors for election campaign purposes. – Belatti, Cochran, Grandinetti, Marten, Muraoka, Perruso, Souza, Amato SB 1202 – Allows candidates to spend campaign funds for child care. —Kim, Aquino, Chang, Fevella, Hashimoto, Kidani, McKelvey, Rhoads, San Buenaventura, Dela Cruz, Richards Public financing of elections HB 370 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Revises partial public financing with increased amounts for each office. —Nakamura SB 345 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Partial public financing increases cap on matching funds and amount that can be spent. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga, Kidani SB 256 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Revises partial public financing with increased amounts for each office. —Kouchi HB 308 – Increases partial public financing of elections. —Poepoe, Amato, Belatti, Evslin, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Kila, Perruso, Tarnas SB 51 – Establishes a comprehensive system of public financing for all candidates seeking election to state and county public offices in the State of Hawaiʻi, to begin with the 2026 general election year. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga, McKelvey, San Buenaventura, Fevella, Ihara, Moriwaki HB 766 – Full public financing of campaigns beginning in 2026. —Belatti, Amato, Grandinetti, Hussey, Perruso, Souza PACs HB 771 – Campaign Spending Commission package: Establishes new requirements on super PACs including fees and fact-checking of messaging. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Marten, Matsumoto, Perruso, Reyes Oda, Souza SB 1032 – Requires business entities contributing or spending money in an election to disclose their foreign influence and requires independent expenditure committee donors to disclose their interests. —Lee, Kidani, Moriwaki, Rhoads, Fevella, Fukunaga SB 1173 – Imposes a fee on noncandidate committees based on amount of money spent. —McKelvey, Rhoads Campaign Spending Commission HB 691 – Appropriates money to Campaign Spending Commission for new positions. —Kapela, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Perruso, Poepoe, Tarnas HB 768 – Good Government Caucus – Funds more investigators for Campaign Spending Commission. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Marten, Matsumoto, Perruso, Quinlan, Reyes, Oda SB 118 – Creating and funding an investigator for the Campaign Spending Commission. —Rhoads, Chang ETHICS HB 411 – Ethics Commission package: Uniform provisions for penalties under lobbying law. —Nakamura SB 289 – Ethics Commission package: Uniform provisions for penalties under lobbying law. —Kouchi HB 412 – Ethics Commission package: Expands definition of lobbying to include high government officials when involving procurement. —Nakamura SB 290 – Ethics Commission package: Expands definition of lobbying to include high government officials when involving procurement. —Kouchi HB 413 – Ethics Commission package: Clarifies restriction on lobbyist contributions. —Nakamura SB 291 – Ethics Commission package: Clarifies restriction on lobbyist contributions. —Kouchi HB 493 – Applies state ethics laws to legislators. —Iwamoto, Belatti, Perruso, Pierick, Ward SB 1583 – Authorizes legislators to use state equipment for community initiatives within their own districts. —Awa, DeCorte PUBLIC RECORDS HB 130 – Caps fees on public records and includes a public interest waiver. —Tarnas, Belatti, Chun, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kapela, Kitagawa, Marten, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Reyes Oda, Souza, Takayama, Ward SB 406 – Caps the cost of reproducing a public record at 5 cents per page. —Rhoads SB 863 – Cap on search and redaction costs for public records and a waiver when in the public interest. —Rhoads HB 131 – Allows records to be released for research purposes. —Tarnas, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kapela, Kitagawa, Marten, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Souza, Tam SB 353 – Prohibits governor from suspending requests for public records during an emergency and allows Legislature and county councils to terminate governor or mayor’s state of emergency. —Rhoads, Elefante, McKelvey SB 786 – Requires public records be made available in a disability-accessible format. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga SB 571 – Designates all federal ICE records pertaining to detained individuals are public. —Aquino SB 1255 – Clarifies that public records subject to disclosure under UIPA includes information created and maintained by private contractors. —Kim, Chang, DeCoite, Fevella, Hashimoto, Kidani, Dela Cruz SUNSHINE LAW HB 724 – Brings the Legislature under the Sunshine Law. —Hussey, Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Perruso HB 494 – Applies Sunshine Law to the Legislature by repealing exemption. —Iwamoto, Pierick HB 144 – Allows two or more members of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority to meet together during transition period as long as no commitment to vote is made and no decision-making. —Tarnas, Garrett, Kahaloa, Kila, Matayoshi, Takayama SB 770 – Allows two or more members of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority to meet together during transition period as long as no commitment to vote is made and no decision-making. —Richards, Aquino, Chang HB 403 – Kauaʻi County Council package: Allows any member of a board to attend an informational meeting as long as it’s not directed at that board. —Nakamura SB 270 – Kauaʻi County Council package: Allows any member of a board to attend an informational meeting as long as its not directed at that board. —Kouchi HB 1412 – Designates the neighborhood commission as the appropriate oversight authority for application of the Sunshine Law to neighborhood boards. Authorizes neighborhood boards to discuss official government reports without placing it on the agenda, provided that no decision-making can be made. —Reyes Oda, Alcos, Garcia, Kusch, Matsumoto, Pierick, Tam, Todd SB 405 – Allows neighborhood boards to discuss items not on the agenda if brought up by a government official. —Rhoads HB 686 – Defines community outreach boards and brings them under the Sunshine Law similar to neighborhood boards. —Kapela, Kahaloa, Perruso SB 869 – Defines community outreach boards and brings them under the Sunshine Law similar to neighborhood boards. —Kanuha, Chang, McKelvey, Gabbard, Ihara SB 381 – Requires that selecting heads of public agencies or divisions be done in open meetings through an open public process. —McKelvey, Chang, DeCorte, Gabbard, Fevella HB 50 – Authorizes boards and commissions to make decisions about employees without approval of the affiliated department. —Garrett SB 444 – Authorizes boards and commissions to make decisions about employees without approval of the affiliated department. —Dela Cruz, Chang, Hashimoto, Kidani, Kim, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura SB 1556 – Establishes a Trusted Public Representative Program within the Office of Information Practices under which the office assigns a volunteer Trusted Public Representative trained in the requirements of the Sunshine Law and observes public agency meetings closed to the public. —Ihara SB 1651 – Requires that board packets for public meetings be posted at least two full days in advance of meeting. —Rhoads HB 329 – Exempts the School Facilities Authority Board workgroups and subcommittees from the Sunshine Law. —La Chica, Amato, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Kitiagawa, Marten, Olds, Poepoe, Quinlan, Reyes Oda, Souza, Todd SB 580 – Exempts the School Facilities Authority Board workgroups and subcommittees from the Sunshine Law. —Hashimoto, Aquino, Chang, DeCoite, Fevella, Gabbard, McKelvey, Ihara ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY Legislative procedures HB 296 – Require fiscal notes on all bills. —Matsumoto, Alcos, Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Shimizu, Ward HB 1199 – Requires fiscal notes on all fiscal bills. Prohibits a committee from making a decision on a fiscal bill without a fiscal note. —Reyes Oda, Garcia, Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Olds, Perruso, Pierick, Todd, Ward HB 568 – Requires fiscal notes for legislation. —Shimizu HB 792 – Clarifies the office of the legislative analyst. —Yamashita SB 1081 – Establishes the Legislative Budget Office to produce fiscal reports on bills and legislation. —Inouye HB 793 – Requires House Speaker and Senate President be notified within 10 days of the state receiving any federal monies available for spending. —Yamashita HB 875 – Appropriates funds for a State Capitol tour guide position within the Public Access Room. —Lee, Chun, Kahaloa, Kapela, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Lowen, Matsumoto, Morikawa, Olds, Perruso, Poe, Souza, Takayama, Tam, Tarnas, Ward, Kila, Reyes Oda HB 1465 – Establishes a housing allowance for legislators from neighbor islands who come to Oʻahu for session. —Amato, Iwamoto SB 1031 – Allows Legislature to put non-binding advisory questions and referendum on the ballot to ask voters their opinion on matters. —Lee, Chang SB 1545 – Repeals language in the State’s Code of Ethics that exempts the Legislative Branch from prohibitions against nepotism in public employment. —Kim, Chang, Fevella, Gabbard, Kidani, Richards, Wakai SB 1611 – Requires appointments to certain state agency jobs be approved by the Senate, including the governor’s homeless coordinator, the senior advisor for mental health and the deputy human services director. —San Buenaventura, McKelvey SB 711 – Requires Senate confirmation for state employees whose salary is larger than the governor’s if it’s an employee in the governor’s office or if larger than the head of the agency the person is working in. —San Buenaventura, Chang, Fevella, Hashimoto, McKelvey HB 1320 – Requires the University of Hawaiʻi system to collect, analyze, and publicly report certain graduate outcome data. —Garrett, Amato, Belatti, Iwamoto, Kila, Lamosao, Marten, Miyake, Perruso, Poepoe, Tarnas SB 741 – Establishes an external audit committee within the University of Hawaiʻi to audit the UH System and the Board of Regents and report annually to the Legislature. —Dela Cruz, Chang, Elefante, Hashimoto, Kidani, Richards SB 747 – Establishes an audit office within the Department of Education to audit the DOE and report to the Legislature. Creates six positions for the audit office and provides funding. —Dela Cruz, Hashimoto, Kidani, Richards SB 798 – Establishes a Child Welfare Oversight Commission to review practices of CWS and issues raised in the 2024 auditor’s report and make recommendations to reduce child harm and death and propose legislation for reform. —Rhoads SB 375 – Governor Package: Establishes a government restructuring commission. —McKelvey, Chang, Gabbard, Kidani, Fevella, Hashimoto HB 1425 – Establishes a temporary working group to study the feasibility of transitioning the Hawaiʻi State Legislature’s regular session from one that meets for 3.5 months from mid-January to early May, to one that meets on a year-round basis. —Nakamura SB 1514 – Establishes a temporary working group to study the feasibility of transitioning the Hawaiʻi State Legislature’s regular session from one that meets for 3.5 months from mid-January to early May, to one that meets on a year-round basis. —Kouchi SB 1618 – Establishes a Journalistic Ethics Commission overseen by state government including establishing a code of ethics and a board to hear complaints and levy penalties for violations. —Kim, DeCoite, Dela Cruz, Fevella, Hashimoto, Richards, San Buenaventura, Wakai Asset forfeiture and other policing issues HB 126 – Hawaiʻi Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act: Increases transparency and accountability around asset forfeiture. Clarifies what property can be forfeited. —Tarnas, Amato, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kitagawa, Lamosao, Marten, Perruso, Poepoe, Souza, Takayama HB 492 – Civil asset forfeiture occurs only after conviction. —Iwamoto, Grandinetti, Perruso SB 320 – Restricts asset forfeiture to after conviction of felony. —San Buenaventura, Chang, Lee, McKelvey, Rhoads SB 722 – Makes civil asset forfeiture only for felony convictions and other changes. —Rhoads, Aquino, Chang, Fevella, Gabbard, Inouye, Kidani, McKelvey, San Buenaventura, Wakai SB 1029 – Asset forfeiture applies to felony convictions. —Lee, Chang, McKelvey, Rhoads SB 1126 – Asset forfeiture upon conviction only. —Wakai SB 813 – Requires a law enforcement officer to report criminal misconduct by other officers and specifies the officer can be decertified if they don’t report. Also requires psychological screening before becoming a police officer and prohibits chokeholds. —Rhoads, Chang HB 595 – Establishes the right to record law enforcement. —Belatti, Grandinetti, Perruso SB 307 – Establishes right to record law enforcement. —Rhoads, Chang HB 610 – Establishes a cold case unit within the AG’s office for investigation of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. —Souza, Amato, Cochran, Iwamoto, Perruso, Poepoe HB 291 – Stand Your Ground law established. —Garcia, Alcos, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Shimizu, Ward HB 390 – Increases penalties for bribery, under certain circumstances. —Nakamura SB 775 – Prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement except in limited circumstances. —Rhoads, Aquino, Chang SB 1149 – Requires law enforcement to report all possible hate crimes. —Lee, Hashimoto, Rhoads SB 1156 – Makes it a crime to create a sexually explicit deepfake. —Gabbard, San Buenaventura HB 278 – Requires county police agencies to collect data on arrests, stops, use of force and complaints and provide to the AG which would produce a report. —Tarnas, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kila, Kitagawa, Marten, Perruso, Poepoe, Sayama, Souza, Takayama HB 61 – Requires county mayors to appoint medical examiners. —Souza, Perruso Media literacy and civic education HB 100 – Authorizes school complexes to incorporate media literacy in their standards-based curriculum, including content that prevents negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech. —Perruso, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Marten, Poepoe, Tam, Chun SB 772 – Media literacy and digital citizenship curriculum in schools to prevent misinformation and online hate speech. —Rhoads, Chang, Gabbard, Kim, San Buenaventura, Fukunaga, Hashimoto, Richards SB 844 – Requires digital citizenship and media literacy curriculum in the schools. —Chang HB 763 – Promotes civic education in public schools including two full-time positions. —Perruso, Belatti, Garrett, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Matsumoto, Olds, Pierick, Poepoe, Quinlan, Reyes Oda, Souza, Takayama HB 1210 – Requires the Department of Education to provide and disseminate its procedures for dealing with bullying. —Templo SB 1631 – Establishes the Aloha Civics Collaborative to promote civics and perpetuate the Aloha Spirit. —Ihara Cell phones and social media HB 289 – No cell phones or social media in schools and requires social media education program. —Shimizu, Alcos, Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Ward HB 623 – Requires the Board of Education to adopt a policy that bans the use of phones and related devices by students during school hours. —Woodson, Evslin, Garcia, Garrett, Grandinetti, La Chica, Lowen, Marten, Olds, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Quinlan, Takayama, Tarnas, Ward HB 1195 – Requires the Department of Education to prohibit cell phone use during the instructional day, prohibit student access to social media through the school’s internet, and implement a social media education campaign. —Shimizu, Alcos, Lowen, Muraoka, Pierick, Ward HB 1224 – Requires the Department of Education to prohibit cell phone use during the instructional day, prohibit student access to social media through the school’s internet, and implement a social media education campaign. —Matsumoto, Alcos, Evslin, Garcia, Kila, Kusch, Lamosao, Matayoshi, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Ward HB 1303 – Requires each public school to implement a policy to prohibit students from using cellular phones and other wireless communication devices during school hours. —Kila, Evslin, Kahaloa, Lamosa, Poepoe HB 1343 – Requires the Board of Education to adopt a policy that bans the use of phones and related devices by students during school hours. —Woodson, Amato, Chun, Evslin, Garcia, Garrett, Grandinetti, Holt, Kahaloa, Kila, Kusch, La Chica, Lamosao, Lowen, Marten, Matayjoshi, Matsumoto, Morikawa, Olds, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Quinlan, Sayama, Souza, Takayama, Tarnas, Templo, Todd, Ward AI and Internet HB 487 – Provides funds to Legislative Reference Bureau to procure AI to streamline state law and regulations. —Muroaka HB 824 – Gives funding to the Legislative Reference Bureau to procure AI to streamline state laws and rules. —Muraoka HB 546 – Establishes the Aloha Intelligence Institute within UH to develop, support and advance AI initiatives. —Garrett, Kapela, Kila, Olds Sayama SB 1622 – Establishes the Aloha Intelligence Institute within UH to develop, support and advance AI initiatives. —Kim, Chang, Inouye, McKelvey, Richards, San Buenaventura, Wakai HB 639 – Requires anyone engaging in commercial transactions to make it clear the customer is interacting with an AI chatbot if it is mimicking a human. —La Chica, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Lowen, Marten, Perruso, Pierick, Todd, Ward SB 640 – Requires anyone engaging in commercial transactions to make it clear the customer is interacting with an AI chatbot if it is mimicking a human. —Keohokalole, Chang, Fevella, Fukunaga, Hashimoto, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura, Wakai HB 1384 – Establishes the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council. —Garrett, Amato, Belatti, Chun, Kapela, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kila, Lamosao, Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Poepoe, Quinlan, Souza, Takayama, Ward Neighborhood boards and community meetings HB 944 – Authorizes neighborhood boards to solicit ideas for capital improvement projects and budget priorities and county mayors to respond. —Hussey, Amato, Belatti, Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Olds, Perruso, Pierick, Reyes Oda HB 1395 – Requires counties to ensure neighborhood board members’ terms don’t exceed one year and residents can vote for board members with electronically or in person. —Pierick SB 1558 – Applies the campaign finance laws to candidates for the neighborhood boards. —Ihara HB 1329 – Requires government agencies planning a major project to give notice to communities that are affected and hold public hearings —Cochran, Amato, Belatti, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Ward HB 1453 – Prohibits boards from beginning or continuing meetings after 9 p.m., excluding county council meetings. —Tam, Kila, Templo, Matayoshi SB 1617 – Prohibits boards from beginning or continuing meetings after 9 p.m., excluding county council meetings. —Chang SB 1253 – Clarifies rules regarding boards and commission members who are holdovers. -—Kim, Chang, DeCoite, Fevella, Hashimoto, Inouye, Wakai, Dela Cruz, Moriwaki CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Changes to the Legislature, elections and campaigns HB 770 – Establishing a continuous legislative session with restrictions on outside employment. —Belatti, Amato, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Perruso, Reyes Oda, Tam SB 733 – Establishing a continuous legislature that meets at least once a month. Restricts outside employment. —Chang, Gabbard, McKelvey, Fevella SB 311 – Provides that right of free speech does not include spending money to influence elections. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga, Inouye, Kidani, McKelvey, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura, Gabbard, Richards SB 1225 – Majority of votes means all yes votes and doesn’t include spoiled, blank or over votes. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga, Gabbard, San Buenaventura SB 1238 – Incumbent legislators would be ineligible to serve based on the size of the Native Hawaiian population. —Awa SB 1284 – Proposes a constitutional amendment to prohibit discrimination against a person because of ethnicity, age, disability, religion, national ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. —Lee, Kidani, Rhoads, San Buenaventura SB 1557 – Proposes a constitutional amendment to provide for a citizens’ assembly and to authorize the citizens’ assembly to propose to the Legislature constitutional and statutory revisions or amendments to the laws governing elections, political campaigns, campaign finance, ethics, referendum, reapportionment, legislative process, and public access to information. —Ihara HB 140 – Making reapportionment based on the resident population rather than the permanent resident population. —Quinlan SB 124 – Making reapportionment based on the resident population rather than the permanent resident population. —Rhoads Term Limits HB 298 – Term limits – Maximum 12 years in each chamber starting in 2026. —Ward, Alcos, Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Shimizu HB 488 – Term limits on elected officials plus bars criminally convicted elected officials from office. —Muraoka, Pierick HB 495 – Term limits in Legislature of 16 years. —Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Perruso, Pierick, Ward HB 570 – Term limits of 12 years for legislators. —Shimizu HB 764 – Term limits for legislators starting in 2028. —Belatti, Amato, Garrett, Grandinetti, Hussey, Matsumoto, Perruso, Pierick, Poepoe, Reyes Oda, Souza, Ward SB 1594 – Legislative term limits of 16 years. —Awa, DeBorte, Ihara Changes to the judiciary SB 175 – Increase mandatory retirement age of judges to 75. —Rhoads, Chang, Gabbard, San Buenaventura HB 1216 – Requiring the election of state justices and judges. —Pierick SB 121 – Giving the Senate more time to consider and confirm judges. —Rhoads, Kanuha, Kidani Changes to public schools HB 930 – Requiring the public school system to be thorough and efficient. —Perruso, Grandinetti, Pierick, Poepoe, Ward HB 287 – Proposes a constitutional amendment that would establish local school boards throughout the state to be elected by the voters. —Reyes Oda, Alcos, Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu, Ward Right to abortion and contraception HB 728 – Right to reproductive freedom including abortion and contraception. —Grandinetti, Amato, Belatti, Cochran, Evslin, Ichiyama, Kahaloa, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kusch, La Chica, Lamosao, M. Lee, Lowen, Marten, Morikawa, Perruso, Poepoe, Sayama, Souza, Takayama, Takenouchi,Tam, Tarnas, Templo, Todd SB 297 – Abortion rights. —San Buenaventura, Chang, DeCoite, Kanuha, McKelvey, Moriwaki, Rhoads, Richards, Kidani SB 350 – Right to contraceptives. —Rhoads, Chang, Richards, San Buenaventura, Moriwaki Legalize marijuana HB 519 – Legalize recreational use of cannabis by those 21 and older. —Ward, Iwamoto Environmental health HB 597 – Establishes right to clean environment. —Poepoe, Amato, Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Lamosao, Lowen, Marten, Perruso SB 559 – Right to a clean environment. —Rhoads, Gabbard SB 702 – Right to a clean environment. —Gabbard, Chang, Fevella Internet privacy SB 170 – Exclusive property right to the data you generate on the internet. —Rhoads, Chang, Fukunaga, Lee, San Buenaventura, Gabbard

Tia Lewis: Balance Safety And Tradition When It Comes To Fireworks Honolulu Civil Beat Tia Lewis March 2, 2025 Original Article The air smelled of sulfur and smoke, the streets were covered in the red shreds of firecracker casings. A thick haze blurred Waiehu, Maui, glowing with the bursts of aerials. Some legal, most not. It was New Year’s Eve in Hawai‘i, and for as long as I could remember, this was the way we welcomed the new year. As a kid, I’d sit on the driveway with my family, lighting fountains and bright spinning flowers while Maoli played on the speaker. The crackling pops echoing down the street. Uncles would set off the more “giant” fireworks in the backyard, while my cousins and I lit sparklers from Walmart. The chaos, the noise, the smell, it was all part of the tradition. This New Year’s Eve, celebrations took a dark turn when the terrible explosion in Salt Lake left six people dead and many seriously injured. This reignited the debate over Hawai‘i’s long-standing love affair with fireworks. The question now isn’t whether something needs to change, it’s how we can balance safety with tradition. Because for many of us, New Year’s Eve just wouldn’t be the same without fireworks. “For those that have grown up here, we’ve seen how fireworks has sort of become a part of tradition and culture,” says Sen. Brandon Elefante, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. “In this day and age, fireworks has gotten out of hand and out of control, especially with illegal fireworks, to a point where people have lost their lives or have been seriously injured.” So, how can lawmakers crack down on illegal fireworks while preserving a tradition deeply woven into Hawai‘i’s culture? Enforcement remains the biggest obstacle. Law enforcement officials argue that current regulations are nearly impossible to uphold, as illegal aerials continue to flood in through shipping containers. While an outright ban was initially considered, legislators backed off, instead shifting their focus to stricter penalties and port inspections. Senate Bill 1226 proposes a shipping container inspection program to stop illegal fireworks at the source. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 999 increases fines for minor offenses and Senate Bill 302 protects the use of fireworks for cultural purposes but requires a permit for that use. With such widespread participation, acquiring a permit would likely be a challenge, especially with a cap on how many permits can be issued per person. The demand would far outweigh the supply, leaving many unable to obtain legal access to fireworks. Even so, no matter how strict the laws become, people will find a way to pop fireworks, whether through secret underground purchases or simply ignoring enforcement efforts. The balance between safety and tradition remains delicate and the idea of a silent New Year’s Eve feels unimaginable. Fireworks are more than just noise and light, they symbolize renewal, a way to cast out bad luck and welcome a fresh start. It’s an act of community bonding, a connection to heritage and a part of our local culture here in Hawai’i. Growing up in Waiehu, fireworks were an essential part of my New Year’s Eve. As someone of Chinese and Filipino heritage, my family has always embraced the belief that fireworks ward off evil spirits, ensuring a fresh start to the new year. The deafening cracks of firecrackers and sparkly bursts of aerials were more of a tradition for my family, rooted in cultural superstition and the hope for prosperity, protection and good fortune. Alongside the loud pops coming from neighboring streets, there was always an unspoken awareness of the risks. We all knew someone who had burned their fingers lighting a firework too soon or had a close call with an unexpected explosion. Reflecting back, it is almost like we turned a cold shoulder to the news reports of homes catching fire, pets running away in fear and all the injuries. We thought we were invincible. I was a very anxious kid when it came to fire and lighters; I was always hesitant to light fireworks myself. However, my aunties who were firm believers in the tradition always found a way to persuade me, reminding me that lighting at least one firework would bring me good luck for the new year. Instead of a lighter, I’d use a green mosquito repellent coil, my own little compromise between fear and tradition. Despite my initial hesitation, there was always that thrill in finally lighting the fuse and quickly stepping back, watching as the sparks traveled down before erupting into a burst of color. In that moment, fear gave way to excitement, and I felt a sense of connection to the generations before me who had upheld this tradition. New Year’s Eve nights carry the sound of laughter and cheers with a lingering scent of smoke. This night is so important to many of us. It reminds us that this is the one night the entire island is united in celebration, bound by culture, superstition and the unshakable belief that the new year should begin with a bang. Yet it is still so important to recognize the responsibility that comes with the use of fireworks. Following the rules and using fireworks responsibly ensures that this tradition can continue without causing harm. By finding a balance between celebration and safety, we can preserve what makes these moments of the New Year so special while respecting the well-being and safety of our communities.

A $42.5M education hub broke ground in Wahiawa Hawaii News Now HNN Staff July 29, 2025 Original Article WAHIAWA (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state broke ground on Monday for a new $42.5 million dollar education hub. The 43,000 square-foot facility known as “Wahiawa Center for Workforce Excellence” will serve as the future home of the new Wahiawa Public Library, UH Community College satellite classrooms, and Department of Education offices. “The goal is clear — a space that is central that brings together education and public service,” said Governor Josh Green. The three-story building will be on California Avenue. The project is anticipated to be completed in two years.

Hawaii lawmakers prepare to replenish lost federal funds Hawaii News Now Daryl Huff February 26, 2025 Original Article HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The layoffs of nearly 150 fire survivors on Maui may just be the beginning of the end of federal funding for scores of Hawaii nonprofits. Now lawmakers are laying the groundwork to protect the state safety net. Because the state treasury is in relatively good shape, lawmakers are looking into whether they can fill in where the federal government has backed off. More than 200 nonprofits in Hawaii provide direct service to poor, elderly, disabled and disadvantaged communities with federal funds in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So far, only a handful have been directly impacted by Trump administration freezes, but at a hearing Wednesday, senators began planning for a worst-case scenario for essential nonprofits. Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz described the kinds of agencies that might qualify “as providing crucial, programmatic aid and outreach in the health and services sector.” Dela Cruz told Hawaii News Now that the bill is a vehicle for a difficult process. “We’re going to have to prioritize,” he said, “because there’s only so much money to go around.” Because it could take months before it’s clear where the cuts have fallen, Dela Cruz wants to be prepared in case the governor has to call lawmakers into an emergency session. “What the bill does is at least it gives us some options to hopefully strategically respond to the cuts at some point,” Dela Cruz said. For many on Maui, that time has come after 27 agencies and nearly 150 jobs were cut after money from a federal Department of Labor grant ran out. The state says it’s looking for funds to replenish the agencies. But Sen. Troy Hashimoto, D-Wailuku, Kahului, Waihee, Waikapu Mauka, Waiehu, said this is an emergency that qualifies for emergency funding. “I think we as a state need to step up,” he said. “I think we will have to work with the governor’s office to see what state resources we can immediately allocate.” The biggest dilemma for lawmakers is that if they step up with state money, they have no idea how deep the Trump budget cuts will go or how long they will last. Hashimoto is a veteran of budget battles at the Capitol, so he is not suggesting this will be an easy or automatic decision. “What becomes the priority, you know? Because we have our state programs that we have to continue,” he said. “Can we pick up all the federal programs?”

Hawaiʻi Might Finally Put The Bite On Bedbugs In Housing — But Not Hotels Civil Beat Stewart Yerton February 5, 2025 Original Article The first sentence of a bill before the Legislature says it all: Bedbugs are bloodsucking insects that typically hide in bedrooms and come out to feed at night. Anyone with a nightmare hotel experience can tell you that. But what’s surprising about the proposed legislation, which would require landlords to ensure rental properties are free of the pests, is that it’d be the first bedbug regulation in Hawaiʻi, which has one of the highest percentages of renters in the U.S. Hawaiʻi Sen. Stanley Chang, chair of the Senate Housing Committee, which approved a version of the bill Thursday, has his own bedbug story from a time in New York. “I would not wish it on my worst enemy,” he said. Senate Bill 456 puts the presence of bedbugs on par with a lack of running water, electricity or plumbing in a home. Sen. Karl Rhoads, who sponsored the bill , said a property infested with bedbugs “probably rises to the level of uninhabitability” under Hawaiʻi’s landlord-tenant code. The bill, however, doesn’t apply to Hawaiʻi’s sprawling hotel sector, which had $5.5 billion in revenue in 2024, and any effort to include the industry in the legislation is likely to face strong opposition. The latest version of the bill mostly makes landlords responsible for fixing the problem, prompting pushback from the Hawaiʻi Association of Realtors. If the bill passes, Hawaiʻi would join 24 other states and cities with bedbug laws. Some date back decades and bear archaic language indicating how long bedbugs have plagued communities. An Ohio law from the 1940s bans the pests in rail cars, and Wisconsin requires landlords to use “all means necessary” to prevent bedbugs in homes for “orphans, indigents and delinquents.” Nevada requires hotel rooms with bedbugs to be fumigated. Other states and cities protect residential tenants like Hawaiʻi would do. New York City demands that landlords provide new tenants with a bedbug history of the apartment and apartment building for the previous year. A bedbug bill introduced in 2024 died. Rhoads, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, hopes this can be the year Hawaiʻi finally does something. “I’ve never had them, thank God,” he said. “But I hear they’re horrible.” The Hawaiʻi Department of Health doesn’t keep statistics on bedbugs because they don’t carry or spread disease. But the department says the bugs can cause itching and loss of sleep, and that “excessive scratching can increase the chance of secondary skin infections.” Bedbugs are also sneaky. People generally sleep through bites because the creatures, who like warm, dark spaces, inject an anesthetic and blood thinner into their hosts before feeding, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports . The bugs can hide in box springs and headboards for several months without needing blood. Although overall data doesn’t exist, anecdotes of high-profile incidents abound in Hawaiʻi. In 2014, a bedbug infestation was reported at Oʻahu Community Correctional Center . In 2023, the state Department of Transportation had to shut down a section of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport so exterminators could kill bedbugs that had infested part of a terminal. In March, Hawaiʻi News Now reported that Honolulu’s Joint Traffic Management Center was temporarily shut down after bedbugs were found in the building’s quiet room. It cost $1,800 to fumigate the space. For an unfiltered (and unverified) peek at the local bedbug problem, bedbugreports.com lets travelers anonymously share stories about outbreaks in rental housing and hotels, such as an alleged incident at a landmark Waikīkī hotel. “My husband and I checked into the hotel on 9/11/2024,” the traveler reported. “When I woke up the next morning, I had several red, itchy bumps on my arms. I thought that I was bitten by a mosquito — however, the next morning, I had several more bites on my knee and arms. I then checked for bedbugs (tip from my daughter) and BINGO, in the seam of the mattress, box springs, I found bedbugs.” Hotel executives contacted by Civil Beat were reluctant to speak on the record about bedbug issues. But Tim Lyons, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Pest Control Association, said it’s not uncommon for bedbugs to hitchhike with travelers into hotels. Even the most expensive properties are susceptible, he said. “They’re not discriminatory,” Lyons said of the pests. Eight states have statutes addressing bedbugs at hotels, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Rhoads said his bill is aimed only at the pests in residences. As for hotels, he said, in the age of social media and online reviews, it’s easy for word to get out if a property has a widespread problem. “It’s incumbent on them if they want to make money to take care of the problem,” he said. But Rhoads also said, “If the committees that take a look at it decide they want to include hotels, it won’t bother me at all.” But a bill expanded to include the powerful hotel industry could face a tough climb. The Hawaiʻi Association of Realtors testified against the bill, saying “owners or tenants residing in infested units can unknowingly transfer the bedbugs to adjacent properties, and determining the source of the infestation can be complicated.” Alvin Fukuyama, owner of State Termite and Pest Control in ʻAiea, said there’s also a question of fairness. It can cost $200 per room to treat a home for bedbugs, he said. Many exterminators provide no warranty if the bugs come back, but tenants or their guests, not landlords, are usually the ones who bring bedbugs into a home, Fukuyama said. “Whoever’s living there is typically the one who’s bringing it in,” he said.

DKI Highway speed limit could be lowered to 55 mph Hawaii Tribune-Herald John Burnett November 13, 2025 Original Article State Sen. Lorraine Inouye, who introduced a bill that in 2017 increased the speed limit on portions of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway from 55 mph to 60 mph, said she thinks it’s time to roll the speed limit back to 55. Inouye, a Hilo Democrat, told the Tribune-Herald fatalities on the Big Island’s main east-west thoroughfare — also known as Route 200 and Saddle Road — are “very concerning,” and she’s considering introducing a bill in the 2026 legislative session to return the speed limit to 55 mph. According to Inouye, she was “happy when that highway was completed” in 2013, mostly with federal funding. “I was the one that told state Highways Division, ‘Let’s consider raising the speed limit in the appropriate areas’ at the time the road was dedicated,” Inouye said. “And I did that by law. “But, nonetheless, I think I’m going to make an amendment to take away that benefit for our drivers. It’s the drivers who are minding the speed limit who get hurt. That’s why, for me, it’s very bothersome. This is addressing those who are being killed by the drivers who are speeding.” The most recent fatal crash was on Oct. 23, a head-on collision that claimed the lives of 47-year-old Anina Masaichy and her 3-week-old granddaughter. Four other passengers in the Subaru SUV Masaichy and the infant were in sustained serious injuries — a 4-year-old boy, 17-year-old girl, 18-year-old woman and 51-year-old man. The driver of the other vehicle, 43-year-old Kimo Medeiros of Kurtistown, allegedly caused the crash and has a long history of traffic offenses. He was cited just three days earlier for driving without a license. Medeiros was charged with two counts each of manslaughter, first-degree negligent homicide and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug; three counts of first-degree negligent injury; plus reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs, marijuana possession, and driving without a license. Medeiros, who was driving a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, was indicted Nov. 3 by a Hilo grand jury. His bail is set $2.055 million. Inouye said state Transportation Director Ed Sniffen supports her idea for the speed limit reduction. An email from the state Department of Transportation said agency officials believe “setting speed limits on DKI Highway/Saddle Road that are consistent with the characteristics and surrounding land use will improve safety. Especially with the recent fatal crashes involving speed and head-on crashes on DKI Highway/Saddle Road.” An Oct. 28 press release by the Hawaii Police Department urged motorists “to drive responsibly following a recent increase in reports and incidents involving reckless and dangerous driving.” As of October, officers had issued over 9,200 speeding citations, compared to 9,088 citations issued in all of 2024, the release said. Police said “a significant majority” of excessive speed citations and arrests this year have occurred along the DKI, underscoring the ongoing danger associated with speeding and reckless behavior on the highway. “It’s a known fact that speed kills. It’s just physics,” said Reed Mahuna, interim police chief. “The faster you’re going has an impact on injuries and fatalities. I don’t think the police department would ever be in a position to be opposed to a reduction in the speed limit. “I would say that people who are driving 60 mph on that stretch of roadway and driving legally and safely are not necessarily the problem,” Mahuna added. “The fatal crashes that we have, people are driving recklessly. They’re driving in excess of 60, or they’re driving 60 when the road conditions aren’t safe — in heavy rain, for example, in fog or in other situations where it creates an unsafe road condition by the manner in which they’re driving. “I think that we, as a community, have to look at ourselves in the mirror and decide that we’re going to drive safely, that we’re going to care for one another — especially our keiki and our kupuna, the most vulnerable among us — and that getting somewhere two, five or 10 minutes earlier is not worth putting ourselves, our family and our community family at risk. I think that’s the turning point.” “We, as a police department, we’re going to continue to do our enforcement, we’re going to aggressively look at ways that we can reduce fatal traffic crashes on the island,” Mahuna concluded. “But I think that all of us, working together, is going to be the turning point when we can finally say enough is enough.”

State legislators to meet to discuss location of new Oʻahu landfill Yahoo News; KHON2 Cameron Macedonio January 3, 2025 Original Article HONOLULU (KHON2) — On Jan. 7, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature will hold a joint informational briefing between the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection and the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment to discuss the proposed Oʻahu landfill and its potential impacts. The Honolulu Department of Environmental Services and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply will provide presentations to the joint committees. “Protecting Hawaiʻi’s precious water supply is essential for sustaining life and preserving our environment,” said Rep. Nicole E. Lowen, chair of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection. “We aim to fully understand the implications and potential impacts of the proposed location for the new landfill.” Controversy looms over potential sites for Oahu landfill Senator Mike Gabbard, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment, echoed the need to protect the environment. “Choosing the site of Oʻahu’s next landfill affects everyone island-wide, not only now, but for generations to come,” he said. “It’s important that we gather all the facts from the City and County, the Board of Water Supply and other experts before we make a final decision.” The meeting can be streamed live starting at 9 a.m. on Jan. 7 on YouTube .

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers At Work Year Round? That's Becoming A Real Possibility Honolulu Civil Beat Richard Wiens February 2, 2025 Original Article It was a typical scene at the Capitol: two Kauaʻi legislators getting together to discuss common interests and how they could support each other and the folks back home. The sort of thing that happens at the start of every session. But this was also a high-level meeting between longtime Senate President Ron Kouchi and brand-new House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, and the latter had a special request. “She innocently in her folder slid over a bill,” Kouchi recollected with a smile the next day. It was a proposal that could significantly change how the Legislature operates, and Nakamura wanted Kouchi to join the cause by introducing the same measure in the Senate. “I don’t know if you’d sign it,” Kouchi recalled her asking, “but I said, ‘For you Speaker, I’d be happy to sign it on our side and we’ll see what happens.’” And just like that, the often-proposed but seldom seriously considered concept of converting the Legislature to a year-round enterprise took on new life. “I’m glad you signed that bill,” Nakamura said to Kouchi as the top two legislative leaders headlined Civil Beat’s Civil Cafe at the Capitol on Jan. 22. Then she made her pitch. “All of the county councils in the state are year-round,” Nakamura said. “They have a fraction of the state’s budget and they meet year-round because the work of the counties — and here at the state — is year-round. Emergencies happen year-round.” “We currently have a 60-day session from the middle of January to the first week of May and we have these self-imposed deadlines that require us to not hear a lot of bills,” she said. “It requires us to write very complex bills in a very short period of time. We do not get the time to really work it as we would on the council side.” She noted that she and Kouchi are both former Kaua‘i County Council members. “I really appreciate that process and I think we should move toward that.” Why It Could Actually Happen Nakamura’s House Bill 1425 calls for the creation of a task force to study the logistics and ramifications of a 12-month Legislature. Don’t roll your eyes. This would not likely be one of those longstanding committees that eventually issues a report to be put up on a shelf and forgotten. In addition to the speaker’s sincere interest in the issue, the panel would be required to submit its findings to the Legislature at least 20 days before the start of the 2026 session. More importantly, something occurred just five days after the Civil Cafe that likely removes a big obstacle to a year-round session: State Salary Commission members revealed they were considering bumping up legislators’ pay by 40%. If that happened, there would be no further debate about whether the job is full-time. And If legislators are full-time, why should the session be so short? “It would be good to pay legislators more so we don’t have to have that second job,” Nakamura said at the Civil Cafe. Better pay and no outside employment would reduce conflicts of interest and could also lead to a more diverse group of legislative candidates, the speaker said. “We are excluding caregivers, women especially, who want to come out and do this type of work, from entering state legislative offices,” she said. Lawmaker salaries aside, there would certainly be other costs associated with the move to a 12-month Legislature, such as additional staff resources and travel. “I know it is a big change,” Nakamura said. “The study group would really take a look at what are the different issues, what are the costs.” The current 60 days for floor sessions might still be sufficient — they would simply be spread out over 12 months, she said. Meanwhile, bill-writing and committee hearings could proceed at a less frenzied pace. Nakamura’s bill gets its first hearing Wednesday at 2 p.m. before the Legislative Management Committee. In addition to her bill and Kouchi’s companion measure, Senate Bill 1514 , there are two other bills this session proposing the conversion to a 12-month Legislature. The companion measures would put the question directly to voters via a proposed constitutional amendment. One of them, Senate Bill 733 , was heard Friday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was deferred, meaning it probably won’t proceed this session. The other, House Bill 770 , does not yet have a committee hearing scheduled. The Legislature is also waiting on a more modest study of the 12-month option that’s being put together by the Legislative Reference Bureau as the result of a Joint House Resolution approved last session. The LRB was asked to study the pros and cons of a continuous legislative session, what the calendar might look, and the salary needs for full-time legislators and staff. What’s Really On The Table Here Legislative leaders conduct much of the people’s business behind closed doors and wield near-dictatorial powers in open committee meetings and especially during the private negotiations that dominate each session’s final days. They often point to the current tight deadlines (one sponsor of SB 733 has called it “four months of chaos”) to justify secrecy for the sake of expediency. Each election season, legislative candidates are asked in their Civil Beat Q&As if they would support applying the Sunshine Law to the Legislature to stop most of those secret meetings at the Capitol. Many say they would — if the sessions weren’t so darned short. Perhaps the time really has come to take more time. Legislators long ago exempted themselves from the open meeting laws that apply to other government bodies. But a year-round Legislature could not only better oversee the work of 20 state departments and agencies and a $20 billion budget, it could do so in the light of day. If the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate are open to operating more like the county councils on a 12-month schedule, shouldn’t they be willing to conduct their business out in the open just as the councils are required to do? Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads said as much when he amended a year-round Legislature proposal two years ago to apply the Sunshine Law to state lawmakers. At the time, he noted that Hawaii had almost twice the population it had back in 1968 when the current legislative procedures were enshrined in Article III of the State Constitution . Getting legislators to abide by the Sunshine Law won’t be an easy sell. But if they convert to a 12-month session, they would have plenty of time to do the right thing and allow the public to observe their deliberations, not just their committee hearings. Some will say the Capitol just wouldn’t be the same without the old-fashioned horse-trading that goes on in private. Not the same, but perhaps better. What about the idea that what happens at party caucus meetings stays at party caucus meetings? Again, it wouldn’t be the same if their constituents were watching, but it might be better. Longer Sessions Already Possible Even now, legislative leaders aren’t quite as rushed as they often say they are. The State Constitution spells out when each session begins — the third Wednesday in January — but not when it ends. Those 60 days of floor sessions could already be spread out over a lot more of the calendar instead of ending in early May. And committee hearings could continue in the intervals. If they feel like they have unfinished business — and every session ends with that feeling — legislators can also extend a regular session for an additional 15 days or call themselves into special session for up to 30 days. Either of those options requires the approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate. Still, a cleaner way to convert to a 12-month session would be through voter approval of a constitutional amendment. That’s because the constitution’s current timing requirements for the governor to sign or veto bills is tied to when the Legislature adjourns its regular session. This session’s bills for a full-time Legislature, for instance, would give the governor 90 days to sign or veto measures, with no reference to the date of adjournment. It’s becoming plausible to imagine a future in which better-paid legislators hold no outside employment and are unconstricted by artificial deadlines. However it unfolds, a longer session holds promise for a more effective Legislature Change is coming. Newer lawmakers are raising more questions about the top-down nature of things at the Capitol. The recent hour-long discussion on the House floor of its rules of operation was refreshing evidence of the shift, because those rules traditionally are imposed with no dialogue at the start of each session (as they still are in the Senate). It’s becoming plausible to imagine a near-term future in which better-paid legislators hold no outside employment and are unconstricted by artificial deadlines. Their only jobs would be addressing the many challenges facing Hawaii, which should be full-time work indeed.

Community to celebrate life of Ka'ū Calendar editor Julia Neal Big Island Now Tiffany DeMasters February 7, 2025 Original Article Julia Neal, founder of the monthly publication the Ka‘ū Calendar and owner of the Pāhala Plantation Cottages, has been described as compassionate, generous, a community advocate and a dedicated journalist. On Jan. 24, the Pāhala resident for about 30 years passed away in her home on Jan. 24. She was 75. “Everybody knew who she was and what she did,” said Iopa Maunakea, founder of the nonprofit Men of Pa‘a. “That lady impacted the community just by her paper alone. She had a lot of integrity.” Neal kept people from Miloli‘i to Pāhala informed of the goings-on in Hawai‘i Island’s sprawling rural district. From county elections to the controversial proposed resort development in Punalu‘u, Neal reported on the community truthfully. On Saturday, the community is invited to celebrate Neal’s life at 9 a.m. at the Plantation House at 96-3209 Maile St. in Pāhala. With Neal now gone, the Ka‘ū Calendar will cease operations, with its final publication to run later this month. The community is invited to submit letters, prayers, poems and art in honor of Neal to contribute to the final issue. Send submissions to tibarra2000@gmail.com by Feb. 14. Neal also ran a bed and breakfast and vacation rental business called the Pāhala Plantation Cottages, where she hosted weddings, science camps, music festivals and a variety of community events and gatherings. “Her love for Ka‘ū’s unique community and culture and realization that the rural region lacked organized print media inspired her to start the Ka‘ū Calendar,” said Neal’s nephew, William Neal. “She also firmly believed that bringing the voices of those who call Ka‘ū home to the forefront on the region’s most consequential issues was imperative.” William Neal said his aunt was the hardest-working person he ever knew. “Few have had the passion and drive that she had,” he said. “Every day, she would wake up to report on the happenings of the community and national stories of consequence for Hawai‘i at large without missing a day.” Neal covered community events, including the Ka‘ū Coffee Festival, high school graduations and the Pāhala Christmas Parade. She also hosted countless concerts at her property. One Facebook user said they can’t imagine Pāhala without Neal, who always was wearing a hat and smiling. William Neal said his aunt largely ran the paper alone. “She did have some help with graphic design putting the paper together and from time to time throughout the years she had some folks help her take photos for stories or seek advertisers,” he said. “But largely the day-to-day reporting was all done by Julia.” Neal was born in Missouri to a military family that was always on the move. She grew up in several places around the U.S. and Europe, including Kentucky, New York, Germany and France. In the 1980s, Neal worked as a photographer for The Garden Island newspaper on Kaua‘i, working her way up to editor of the publication. Senate Speaker Ron Kouchi was elected as a Kaua‘i County Council member when he met Neal, who at the time was a reporter at The Garden Island. “It was a time when reporters would sit through the entire county council meetings,” Kouchi said. “They were firey journalists and did a lot of homework and research.” Kouchi said Neal covered the development controversy of Nukoli‘i. According to a 2016 Honolulu Civil Beat article by the now Kaua‘i State Rep. Luke Evslin, the fight over Nukoli‘i was “Kaua‘i’s worst political crisis since statehood.” Developers were trying to build a resort on Kaua‘i’s east shore. Although the vacant land at Nukoli‘i was upzoned to urban by the State Land Use Commission in 1974, no building could occur until the county changed the zoning to resort. According to the Civil Beat article, the Planning Department, through the Līhu‘e Development Plan, recommended resort zoning in 1978, which sparked a wave of protests. While they were on opposite sides of the issue, Kouchi supporting development and Neal opposing it, the senator said she wrote the story with all the facts, allowing readers to make their own choices. “She was a professional,” Kouchi said. “She held you to the fire and asked the hard questions.” After turning 40, Neal moved to the Big Island to start a new life in Pāhala. Men of Paʻa’s Maunakea said Neal was involved in everything from housing to education. “She was fearless about reporting things in Punalu‘u,” Maunakea said. Maunakea met Neal four years ago. She opened up her cottages to the nonprofit when the members would stay overnight while in Ka‘ū to do service projects. He said Neal always made it a point to spend time with the group during their stays. “She opened doors for us to engage our community service with the Ka‘ū region,” Maunakea said. Neal is survived by her partner Michael C. Worthington, brother Forest Neal II, and three nephews; Forest Neal III, Michael Neal and William Neal.

Last bills passed by Hawaii lawmakers now law Star Advertiser Andrew Gomes July 11, 2025 Original Article All new state laws stemming from bills passed by Hawaii’s Legislature earlier this year are now on the books. Gov. Josh Green signed six bills Wednesday to cap off decisions on 322 measures sent to him by lawmakers during the legislative session that ran from Jan. 15 to May 2. Of the 322 bills, Green signed 307 and let one become law without his signature. He also vetoed eight bills, not including the state budget bill where he used his line-item veto power to strike a few specific spending items. And Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke signed five bills as acting governor. “This legislative session delivered many important wins, and I’m deeply grateful to the Hawaii State Legislature for championing measures that serve our people and protect our aina (land),” Green said in a statement. “At the same time, we faced real challenges, especially the uncertainty of federal funding, which put critical lifelines for our communities at risk.” One of the last bills signed by Green on Wednesday was the focus of a ceremony in the governor’s office at the state Capitol and was described by advocates as resolving a problem in Hawaii’s homebuilding industry that in some instances added costs to new housing, halted construction and held up purchases. House Bill 420, now Act 308, reforms a statutory process for contractors to resolve home construction defect claims. Developers contended that projects were being subjected to litigation by predatory attorneys through loopholes instead of mediation intended by long-existing state law, and delaying work to fix defects when needed. Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, said the final version of what he called a complicated bill resulted in an “elusive compromise” between opposing stakeholders who were for or against earlier versions of the measure. “Ultimately, both sides were happy with what we came up with,” Keohokalole (D, Kaneohe-Kailua) said during the signing ceremony. Supporters of HB 420, including Green, said the new law amending what is known as the Contractor Repair Act, strengthens consumer protections that were intended in the old statute and exploited by attorneys. Rep. Lisa Marten (D, KailuaLanikai-Waimanalo) said the Contractor Repair Act was supposed to create a collaborative process to resolve home construction defects but wasn’t working and allowed attorneys to go “fishing” for defects through litigation that was leading to added costs for homes because of higher insurance premiums and other expenses for developers. “It’s backfiring,” she said of the preexisting law. Tracy Tonaki, Hawaii division vice president for Texas-based homebuilder D.R. Horton, thanked lawmakers for their work and applauded Green for signing the bill to address an issue that she said had grown over the past two decades. “This legislation brings critical reform to the Contractor Repair Act by prioritizing cooperation and timely resolution over costly and prolonged litigation,” she said. Tonaki during a February hearing on the bill said D.R. Horton had held off building 800 homes permitted for construction because they would be added to an existing class-action lawsuit for homes of similar design. Single-family subdivisions, townhome complexes and high-rise condominiums have been subject to such litigation, with alleged defects ranging from cosmetic issues such as peeling paint, to life and safety concerns such as a structural weakness. A University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization report said at least 17,555 new Hawaii homes over the past 25 years, or 702 homes annually on average, have been subject to construction defect litigation. UHERO’s report, commissioned by the nonprofit Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, also said such litigation has involved nearly 1 in 4 homes built in Hawaii from 2013 to 2023, representing twice as much as there was in the prior 10-year period. The last bill signed Wednesday also was related to housing. Senate Bill 1170, now Act 313, eases the approval process for rebuilding permanently affordable multi-family rental housing in shoreline areas if substantially destroyed in a natural disaster by giving county planning department directors the authority to issue special management area use permits. Among eight bills vetoed by Green was one that would have allowed a public or private entity to pay to have their name on the Hawai‘i Convention Center and a planned replacement of Aloha Stadium. Green raised a concern about SB 583 violating a provision in Hawaii’s Constitution limiting bills to one subject pertaining to the bill’s title. The title of SB 583 is “Naming Rights,” but the bill also exempts stadium and convention center concessions from typical procurement procedures. Other bills stopped from becoming law by the governor included one to regulate high-speed electric bicycles and motorcycles on Hawaii roads. Green told lawmakers in written veto messages that this measure, HB 958, failed to exempt electric cars from a definition of “high-speed electric devices” prohibited from driving on public roadways. House Speaker Nadine Nakamura and Senate President Ron Kouchi have said they don’t plan to convene a special session to consider overriding any vetoes. The one bill that became law this year without the governor’s signature stopped regulations established in 2019 to regulate midwives and the practice of midwifery in Hawaii from sunsetting last month, making them permanent. HB 1194, which became Act 28 on May 5, also affirmed that Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices do not constitute the practice of midwifery. Green signed most bills without fanfare, but drew special attention to more than a few that were part of 13 ceremonies in his office where key stakeholders and lawmakers were recognized for their work. Some of the celebrated bills establish an environmental improvement fee to be paid by hotel guests and cruise ship passengers starting next year (SB 1396), expand access to free school meals for Hawaii public school students (SB 1300), improve laws against illegal fireworks (HB 1483), and staff up a new Office of the State Fire Marshal (HB 1064). “It was the foresight and resilience of our communities — and our willingness to listen — that helped move many of these bills across the finish line,” Green said.

Senate Committee on Ways and Means advances executive budget bill Maui Now March 31, 2025 Original Article The Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Monday passed House Bill 300 Senate Draft 1 , which outlines the Executive Branch state budget for the upcoming fiscal years. The bill includes funding for both the State’s operating and capital improvement budgets for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. Following the latest downward forecast from the Council on Revenues and amidst ongoing economic uncertainty, the WAM committee has adopted a budget that it says maintains essential services for the state’s most vulnerable populations and proactively expands the economy through strategic investments in emerging sectors. With potential cuts in federal funding and policy changes that could result in broader economic challenges, the Senate reports it remains committed to fostering economic resilience and advancing meaningful solutions that Hawaiʻi’s communities need to thrive. A summary of totals included in the approved budget are as follows: Operating Budget: For Fiscal Year 2025-2026 , the operating budget totals almost $10.44 billion in general funds and about $19.93 billion across all financing sources. For Fiscal Year 2026-2027 , the operating budget totals around $10.42 billion in general funds and almost $19.74 billion across all financing sources. Capital Improvement Budget: For Fiscal Year 2025-2026 , the capital improvement budget includes about $1.56 billion in general obligation bond funds and around $3.72 billion from all financing sources. For Fiscal Year 2026-2027 , the capital improvement budget includes over $339.5 million in general obligation bond funds and about $2.05 billion from all financing sources. “The Senate continues to prioritize investments that foster systems within our island home to sustain essential services, including access to food, healthcare, and housing,” said Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz (Senate District 17 –  portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, portion of Waipiʻo Acres, Launani Valley, Wahiawā, Whitmore Village), WAM chair. “This budget makes strategic appropriations to invest into our local regional economies to drive economic growth statewide. This wholistic approach will help to diversify our economy, create high-paying local jobs, and reverse the brain drain. Together, we can make Hawaiʻi a place where locals can live, learn, work, and play.” “In these times of uncertainty, we focused on the essentials: health and safety, compliance, infrastructure, and maintaining and modernizing state assets,” stated Sen. Sharon Y. Moriwaki (Senate District 12 – Waikīkī, Ala Moana, Kaka‘ako, McCully), vice-chair of WAM. “We’ve also focused on our Senate priorities of affordable housing, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and economic development and diversification including agricultural innovations.” Budget allocations in line with this year’s Senate priorities: Education and Workforce Development Add one position and $55,068 in FY26 and $110,136 in FY27 to advance financial literacy education initiatives statewide Add 2 positions and $220,272 in FY26 and FY27 for educational programming for students in residential facilities and for neglected/delinquent youth Add $1,450,000 in FY26 and FY27 to address healthcare workforce shortages in collaboration with DOE Add four positions and $947,736 in FY26 and FY27 to provide career foundations across core and emerging industries, in collaboration with the McKinley Community School for Adults and the Business Development and Support Division Add 11 positions and $1,243,212 in FY26 and $1,468,488 in FY27 to address nursing shortages statewide Add $15,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program to help improve access to quality healthcare in underserved areas Add $1,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute in UH Community College Systems to develop pathways for workforce development Add $4,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Hoakea Program, in partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society Add $465,000 in FY26 and FY27 for differentials for Charter Schools teachers, including for hard-to-fill and Hawaiian Immersion teachers Add 58 positions and $5,027,927 in FY26 and 108 positions and $8,236,302 in FY27 for the Lieutenant Governor’s Ready Keiki initiative, which aims to expand access to pre-school statewide Housing, Homelessness, and Stabilizing Hawaiʻi’s Property Insurance Market Add $4,100,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help offenders reintegrate into society, including by providing replacement vital documents, mental health treatment services, substance abuse treatment services, and transitional housing Add $1,550,000 in FY26 and FY27 for Family Assessment Centers for homeless families with minor children Add $3,750,000 in FY26 and FY27 for Housing First Program to provide transitional housing to individuals who frequent healthcare services and the criminal justice system Add $1,750,000 in FY26 and FY27 for Homeless Outreach Services to collaborate with state agencies to transition individuals into long-term housing solutions Add $5,000,000 in FY26 to support State agencies to address homeless encampments on State lands Add $3,750,000 in FY26 and FY27 for Rapid Re-housing Program which provides supportive services to families Add $250,000 in FY26 and FY27 for State Rent Supplement Program to provide housing subsidies for low-income families Increase State Low-Income Housing revolving fund ceiling to add 2 positions and $160,478 in FY26 and $300,356 in FY27 to assist with Public Housing programs Add one position and $100,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the 99-year leasehold program, which aims to develop low-cost residential condominium units for first-time homebuyers Increase special fund ceiling by $200,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for distribution of insurance proceeds from the Maui wildfires General Governance and Constitutional Rights Add $200,000 in FY26 and $220,000 in FY27 for IT accessibility implementation in the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, in consultation with the Disability and Communication Assess Board Increase special fund ceiling by $5,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to expand 911 services to new and emerging technologies Add two positions and $440,000 in FY26 and FY27 to establish the Immigrant Services and Access Unit to promote economic self‑sufficiency, community inclusion, and integration Add $1,500,000 in FY26 to improve paid family and medical leave Add $250,000 in FY26 and $264,000 in FY27 for the Silver Alert Program, which helps protect vulnerable kupuna and persons with cognitive impairments or developmental disabilities Add eight positions and $5,042,937 in FY26 and $2,292,014 in FY27 to create the Explosives Enforcement Section to help stop the importation of illegal fireworks Add one position and $200,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help incorporate language access laws into disaster management plans Add six positions and $876,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Office of Wellness and Resilience to continue Hawaiʻi’s largest statewide health survey ever, as well as the largest dataset using the Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Worker Well-being Questionnaire. Add $125,000 in FY26 for medical transportation across rural Oahu Add two positions and $612,210 in FY26 and $1,694,644 in FY27 to expand critical State services to blind and visually impaired residents of the neighbor islands Environmental Sustainability and Infrastructure Add 44 positions and $13,324,731 in both fiscal years for biosecurity Add 7.5 positions and $422,604 in in both fiscal years to operate and maintain irrigation systems statewide Add $200,000 in FY26 and FY27 to minimize the spread of rat lungworm disease Add $1,500,000 in FY26 and FY27 for overtime payments within the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Add 21 positions and $4,967,103 in FY26 and $2,002,972 in FY27 to protect the natural resources of our State Add one position and $110,000 in FY26 and FY27, and increase special fund ceiling by $5,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to revitalize plantation-era reservoirs statewide Add $500,000 in FY26 for climate change assessments in community development districts Increase federal fund ceiling by $393,600 in FY26 and $442,800 in FY27 for three positions for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which aims to expand high-speed internet access to Native Hawaiian households Add $15,000,000 in FY26 for fire mitigation on highways statewide Increase revolving fund ceiling by $11,591,397 in FY26 for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permits Agricultural Innovation and Other Revenue Streams Add $2,058,118 for the Agribusiness Development Corporation to support local farmers, in collaboration with the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience Add $2,000,000 in FY26 to supplement the revolving fund to keep irrigation water rates affordable for local farmers Add $865,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help local entrepreneurs expand to global markets Add $4,150,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the First Lady’s Feeding Hawaiʻi Keiki initiative, in collaboration with the DOE and CTAHR Add $1,500,000 in FY26 to establish the Smart Food Program that will allow Hawaiʻi food producers and retailers to make specific food items available at discounts to SNAP recipients Add $4,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to cement Hawaiʻi’s position as the gateway between the East and the West Add one position and $35,508 in FY26 and $71,016 in FY27 for the Hawaiʻi Film Office Add two positions and $66,888 in FY26 and $133,776 in FY27 for the Academy of Creative Media Add $126,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Small Business Coordinator, to help ensure equal opportunity for businesses owned by veterans, Native Hawaiians, and women Add one position and $57,500 in FY26 and $115,000 in FY27 for antitrust laws and the promotion of a fair and competitive economy Budget allocations for State Departments include: Department of Agriculture Add 44 positions and $13,324,731 in both fiscal years for biosecurity Add 7.5 positions and $422,604 in in both fiscal years to operate and maintain irrigation systems statewide Add $2,000,000 in FY26 to supplement the revolving fund to keep irrigation water rates affordable for local farmers Add $100,000 and 1 Grant Writer position to capitalize on extramural funding Department of Accounting and General Services Add one position and $2,550,000 in FY26 and $4,800,000 in FY27 to expand access to Boards and Commissions meetings Add $200,000 in FY26 and $220,000 in FY27 for IT accessibility implementation in the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, in consultation with the Disability and Communication Assess Board Add $1,600,000 in FY26 and FY27 for cybersecurity risk mitigation efforts Add $310,000 in FY26 and $325,000 in FY27 for cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions Add two positions, and $1,088,500 in FY26 and $1,167,000 in FY27 to establish the Cemetery Management Office Add $126,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Small Business Coordinator, to help ensure equal opportunity for businesses owned by veterans, Native Hawaiians, and women Add two positions and $2,115,000 in FY26 and $380,000 in FY27 for the Campaign Spending Commission to upgrade electronic voting systems Increase special fund ceiling by $5,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to expand 911 services to new and emerging technologies Increase special fund ceiling by $200,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for distribution of insurance proceeds from the Maui wildfires Department of the Attorney General Add two positions and $196,863 in FY26 and $271,445 in FY27 for the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission to help ensure a comprehensive offender re-entry program Add two positions and $152,767 in FY26 and $305,531 in FY27 for the Medical Fraud Unit Add one position and $57,500 in FY26 and $115,000 in FY27 for antitrust laws and the promotion of a fair and competitive economy Add one position and $57,500 in FY26 and $115,000 in FY27 to help uphold child protection laws and support the Office of Youth Services Add $3,070,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help ensure pay equity for Deputy Attorney General positions Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism Add $1,450,000 in FY26 and FY27 to address healthcare workforce shortages in collaboration with DOE Add $250,000 in FY26 and FY27 to provide career foundations in collaboration with DOE’s community schools for adults Add $865,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help local entrepreneurs expand to global markets Add $4,150,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the First Lady’s Feeding Hawaiʻi Keiki initiative, in collaboration with the DOE and CTAHR Add $4,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to cement Hawaiʻi’s position as the gateway between the East and the West Add one position and $35,508 in FY26 and $71,016 in FY27 for the Hawaiʻi Film Office Add $500,000 in FY26 for climate change assessments in community development districts Add $2,058,118 to support local farmers, in collaboration with the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience Department of Budget and Finance Add one position and $983,500 in FY26 and $592,600 in FY27 to safeguard the State’s $24 billion assets for the Employees’ Retirement System Increase trust fund ceiling by 143,719 in FY26 and $287,438 in FY27 for one Investment Officer to help maintain post-employment benefits, including healthcare Add $1,653,691 in FY26 and FY27 to help ensure pay equity for positions within the Office of the Public Defender Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Increase special fund ceiling by:$12,000,000 to renovate the historic King Kalakaua Building $58,233 in FY26 and $116,466 in FY27 for 1 Auditor for the Public Utilities Commission to address rate payer affordability and renewable portfolio standards Department of Defense Add $230,000 in FY26 for critical telecommunications infrastructure Add $2,037,196 in FY26 and FY27 to help ensure pay equity for positions at the Youth Challenge Academy Add one position and $200,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help incorporate language access laws into disaster management plans Department of Education Add $4,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Hoakea Program, in partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society Add $726,100 in FY26 and FY27 to make girls flag football a sport Add $63,082 in FY26 and FY27 for neighbor island student participation in JROTC competition Add two positions and $220,272 in FY26 and FY27 for educational programming for students in residential facilities and for neglected/delinquent youth Add $10,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for skilled nursing services for individuals with disabilities Add $1,700,000 in FY26 and FY27 to increase access to mental health and well- being support systems Add four positions and $697,736 in FY26 and FY27 to provide career foundations across core and emerging industries, in collaboration with the McKinley Community School for Adults Add $4,125,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Farm to School mandate, which aims to locally source 30% of DOE school meals by 2030 Add $500,000 in FY26 and $250,000 in FY27 for an automated handing system that utilizes radio-frequency identification for all Public Libraries Add $465,000 in FY26 and FY27 for differentials for Charter Schools teachers, including for hard-to-fill and Hawaiian Immersion teachers Add 58 positions and $5,027,927 in FY26 and 108.00 positions and $8,236,302 in FY27 for the Lieutenant Governor’s Ready Keiki initiative, which aims to expand access to pre-school statewide Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Increase federal fund ceiling by $393,600 in FY26 and $442,800 in FY27 for three positions for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which aims to expand high-speed internet access to Native Hawaiian households Department of Human Services Add six positions and $876,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Office of Wellness and Resilience to continue Hawaiʻi’s largest statewide health survey ever, as well as the largest dataset using the Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Worker Well-being Questionnaire. Increase special fund ceiling by $225,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Hospital Sustainability Program Increase special fund ceiling by $35,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Nursing Facility Sustainability ProgramThese recurring appropriations sustain public-private partnerships to provide care to the most vulnerable populations in the State Add $750,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Child Wellness Incentive Pilot Program Add $1,500,000 in FY26 to establish the Smart Food Program that will allow Hawaiʻi food producers and retailers to make specific food items available at discounts to SNAP recipients Add two positions and $612,210 in FY26 and $1,694,644 in FY27 to expand critical State services to blind and visually impaired residents of the neighbor islands Department of Human Resources Development 1. Add $1,750,000 in FY26 to help ensure pay equity for civil service jobs across the State Department of Health Add $125,000 in FY26 for medical transportation across rural Oʻahu Add $8,600,000 in FY26 and $18,400,000 in FY27 for Medicaid home and community-based services waiver for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities Add $5,500,000 in FY26 to expand the number of psychiatric beds at the Hawaiʻi State Hospital Add $1,600,000 in FY26 and FY27 for a second medic station and ambulance on Molokaʻi Add three positions and $192,408 in FY26 and FY27 for the Senior Medicare Patrol Program to protect kupuna from medical fraud and scams Add $1,700,000 in FY26 and FY27 for reproductive health and family planning services Add $15,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 for the Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program to help improve access to quality healthcare in underserved areas Department of Law Enforcement Add eight positions and $5,042,937 in FY26 and $2,292,014 in FY27 to create the Explosives Enforcement Section to help stop the importation of illegal fireworks Add $825,000 in FY26 to help prevent gun violence Add $250,000 in FY26 and FY27 for de-escalation training for law enforcement officers Add $250,000 in FY26 and $264,000 in FY27 for the Silver Alert Program, which helps protect vulnerable kupuna and persons with cognitive impairments or developmental disabilities Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Add two positions and $440,000 in FY26 and FY27 to establish the Immigrant Services and Access Unit to promote economic self‑sufficiency, community inclusion, and integration Add $1,500,000 in FY26 to improve paid family and medical leave Add two positions and $76,996 in FY26 and $130,592 in FY27 to enforce temporary disability insurance and prepaid healthcare laws Department of Land and Natural Resources Add one position and $110,000 in FY26 and FY27, and increase special fund ceiling by $5,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to revitalize plantation-era reservoirs statewide Add $1,500,000 in FY26 and FY27 for overtime payments within the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Add 21 positions and $4,967,103 in FY26 and $2,002,972 in FY27 to protect the natural resources of our State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Add $112,000 in FY26 and FY27 to provide trauma-informed care training for uniformed and non-uniformed staff Add $4,100,000 in FY26 and FY27 to help offenders reintegrate into society, including by providing replacement vital documents, mental health treatment services, substance abuse treatment services, and transitional housing Department of Taxation Add 338,150 in FY26 and $593,400 in FY27 for the Tax System Modernization Project Department of Transportation Add $15,000,000 in FY26 for fire mitigation on highways statewide Add $5,000,000 in FY26 to support State agencies to address homeless encampments on State lands University of Hawaiʻi Add 11 positions and $1,243,212 in FY26 and $1,468,488 in FY27 to address nursing shortages statewide Add $200,000 in FY26 and FY27 to minimize the spread of rat lungworm disease Add two positions and $66,888 in FY26 and $133,776 in FY27 for the Academy of Creative Media Add $1,000,000 in FY26 and FY27 to establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute in UH Community College Systems to develop pathways for workforce development Add two positions and $210,150 in FY26 and FY27 for Windward Community College’s Mental Health Technician Certificate of Competence Program, in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi State Hospital