The state House on Friday used a procedural maneuver to kill bills that would have outlawed large-capacity rifle magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and would have imposed tighter controls on the sale or disposal of firearms after the deaths of the legal owners. Read more
Twelve days after the death of state Sen. Breene Harimoto, the House Judiciary Committee proposed a change in state election law that would make committee member Rep. Gregg Takayama eligible to run to serve out the last two years of Harimoto’s term. Read more
Some key bills hang in the balance today as lawmakers try to wrap up this year’s unprecedented three-part legislative session where much of the work was done inside a locked state Capitol that was closed to the public because of the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
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Misalucha has held executive positions in banking, marketing, public policy and community outreach sectors, Ige said. Read more
It was the second time in a week that one of Gov. David Ige’s cabinet appointments has been jeopardized by Senate pushback. Read more
Given the sudden dropoff in tax collections and the collapse of the critically important tourism trade, Ige said the state cannot continue to spend at the rate it has been. Read more
Interim state Tax Director Rona Suzuki asked Gov. David Ige to withdraw her name from consideration after learning the Senate Ways and Means Committee planned to recommend against confirming her for the permanent post. Read more
A proposed ban on large- capacity rifle magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition is back on track to pass at the state Capitol despite resistance from dozens of gun owners and despite concerns raised by the state attorney general that the ban as proposed is probably unenforceable. Read more
The Hawaii State Public Library System is seeking authority from state lawmakers to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency nearly $144,000 in penalties. Read more
HGEA members, who would receive the bulk of the raises, and lawmakers say these are the same workers who have been supporting the state and county responses to the pandemic. Read more
The head of the Honolulu rail authority acknowledged Thursday that the entire 20-mile rail line will not actually open as scheduled by the end of 2025. Read more
The public worker pay raises being advanced by House and Senate leaders would total more than $150 million in general funds, an expensive package that is raising questions among lawmakers who wonder how the state can possibly pay those raises and also cope with a $2.3 billion general treasury budget shortfall. Read more
House and Senate negotiators gave tentative approval Tuesday afternoon to a bill that includes more than $70 million for raises for public workers, a step that could turn out to be politically perilous during a pandemic in which thousands of private-sector workers have lost their jobs. Read more
Gov. David Ige’s administration is poised to adopt a COVID-19 testing protocol similar to one being used by Alaska, and is expected to announce as early as this week that at least some travelers will be allowed to bypass Hawaii’s two-week quarantine requirement this summer if they provide proof of a recent negative test for the new coronavirus. Read more
Leading state health officials are basically pouring cold water on the hopes of anyone in Hawaii who expects that COVID-19 testing, temperature checks, or quarantine will somehow open a disease-free path. Read more
With the state Legislature poised to meet again in less than a week, Hawaii’s nonprofit social service agencies are urging lawmakers to commit hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent federal funds to health care, housing, mental health services and other support for families that are struggling to survive the pandemic. Read more
For weeks now Hawaii has had the lowest per capita COVID-19 infection rate of any state in the nation, and apparently some shoppers have decided the worst of the coronavirus threat has passed. Read more
The Honolulu rail authority is seeking approval for a $9.19 million change order for the company AECOM. Read more
It appears to be getting a bit harder to get a free pass on an election in Hawaii. Read more
University of Hawaii economic researchers are predicting an out-migration of 25,000 people or more from Hawaii by 2022, many of whom will leave to find work on the mainland as the state struggles to revive and reopen its tourism industry. Read more
Gov. David Ige joined other governors from across the country Monday on a call to discuss the protests and rioting in U.S. cities in recent days, and Ige said he was “extremely disappointed” at Trump’s urging the governors to crack down hard on the protests. Read more
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