HILO, HAWAIʻI – Senate Vice President Lorraine R. Inouye (Senate District 1 – Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou, Pepe‘ekeo) announced the release of $5 million in Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds for critical infrastructure improvements at Hilo Benioff Medical Center. The $5 million in general obligation bond funds will support plumbing repairs and HVAC improvements at the medical center’s Acute Facility, including upgrades to the operating room’s HVAC system. The improvement will address aging infrastructure, reduce the risk of service disruptions, and help ensure safe, reliable patient care. “Hilo Benioff Medical Center is a vital part of our Hawaiʻi Island community, and investments like this will help ensure it can continue meeting the healthcare needs of our community for years to come, said Senator Inouye. “I want to thank Governor Green for releasing these funds and for continuing to invest in healthcare on Hawaiʻi island. Our families deserve access to quality, reliable care close to home.”

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI – The Hawaiʻi State Senate Committee on Judiciary held an informational briefing today with the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, retired Chief Justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, to discuss the rule of law, judicial independence, and the role of the courts in maintaining the constitutional balance of government. The briefing occurred in the same week as Constitution Day, held on September 17, that commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Chief Justice Recktenwald presented “Defending the Rule of Law” and discussed the importance of an independent judiciary and the principles that underpin the rule of law. Following his presentation, members of the committee engaged in a question-and-answer session with the retired Chief Justice. The briefing comes amid ongoing national discussion regarding executive authority, the separation of powers, and the role of the judicial branch. The discussion provided an opportunity for legislators to examine these issues and consider the importance of maintaining public confidence in the institutions responsible for upholding the law. “An independent judiciary is essential to our system of checks and balances and to ensure that the rule of law applies equally to everyone,” said Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary. “Today’s discussion was an important opportunity to step back from the immediate political moment and consider the principles that have allowed our democratic institutions to endure. We have a responsibility to understand, respect, and protect the role of an independent judiciary.” Chief Justice Recktenwald, who retired from the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court in 2025, is a member of the Alliance of Former Chief Justices, a project of the nonpartisan civic organization Keep Our Republic. The Alliance brings together retired chief justices from across the country to promote constitutional principles and protect individual rights and an impartial judiciary. “These are challenging times for our nation, especially as we near this fall’s elections. It is critical that people know they can trust in the courts to fairly and impartially resolve the disputes that may arise in the electoral process,” Recktenwald said. View the original Hearing Notice HERE Watch the video recording HERE View photos from the informational briefing HERE This informational briefing is part of a series of informational briefings on the rule of law in relation to actions of the Trump Administration and how its decisions are impacting Hawaiʻi. Information about other briefings can be accessed on the Senate Judiciary Committee webpage HERE. ### Click here for a PDF version of this news release.

WHO/WHAT: The Senate Committee on Judiciary (JDC) will convene an informational briefing to hear from the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, retired Chief Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, and a member of the Alliance of Former Chief Justices, on the rule of law and the role of an independent judiciary. WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 10:00 a.m. Conference Room 229 & Videoconference Hawaiʻi State Capitol 415 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96813 PRESENTER: • The Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald (Retired), Chief Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court PURPOSE: U.S. presidential executive orders and policies have challenged the powers of the judicial branch and tested the limits of the rule of law. The briefing will examine these issues and discuss the role of an independent judicial system in maintaining the rule of law. Following the presentation, committee members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the Retired Chief Justice. Questions will be limited to five minutes per member. As is customary for informational briefings, no public testimony will be accepted. Members of the public and the news media are encouraged to attend. The hearing notice, agenda, and additional meeting information, including the link to the live stream, are available here: HEARING NOTICE: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/hearingnotices/HEARING_JDC_09-15-26_INFO_.HTM This informational briefing is part of a series of informational briefings on the rule of law in relation to actions of the Trump Administration and how its decisions are impacting Hawaiʻi. Information about other briefings can be accessed on the Senate Judiciary Committee webpage HERE.

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.

County, Hawaiian Dredging host blessing, grounbreaking for Kapa‘a Homesteads Tanks Project Kauai Now July 18, 2025 Original Article Kaua‘i County Department of Water and contractor Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. hosted a blessing ceremony and groundbreaking July 11 to commence the Kapa‘a Homesteads Tanks Project. 📷Kaua‘i County Department of Water and contractor Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. hosted a blessing ceremony and groundbreaking July 11, 2025, for the Kapa‘a Homesteads Tanks Project. From left are Kaua‘i Department of Water Manager and Chief Engineer Joe Tait, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Senior Project Manager Ryder Coelho, Kaua‘i County Board of Water Supply Vice Chairman Tom Shigemoto, Hawai‘i Speaker of the House Rep. Nadine Nakamura and Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Sr. Vice President Heavy Division Len Dempsey. (Photo Courtesy: Kaua‘i County Department of Water) The $23.3 million project will replace an existing 200,000-gallon water storage tank with the construction of two 500,000-gallon storage tanks, totaling 1 million gallons, along with necessary storm drain improvements. Installation of about 1,700 linear feet of water lines — 16-inch and 12-inch — along with associated appurtenances are also part of the project. “This project has been a long time coming,” Kaua‘i Department of Water Manager and Chief Engineer Joe Tait was quoted in a county release as saying during the ceremony. “These new storage tanks enhance the current on-site storage from the circa 1923 storage tank and will be a tremendous benefit to the surrounding community.” Hawai‘i Speaker of the House Rep. Nadine Nakamura and Hawai‘i Senate President Sen. Ron Kouchi, who both represent Kaua‘i at the state Capitol in Honolulu, played a large role in securing state funds to help finance about one-third of the project. Nakamura was present during last week’s blessing and groundbreaking. She emphasized the positive impact the infrastructure improvements will have for fire protection in the area, particularly for Kapa‘a Elementary and Kapa‘a High schools. Successful implementation of the master plan for Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital in Kapa‘a also relies on the establishment a robust water infrastructure. The project’s blessing was officiated by Kahu Jade Waiʻaleʻale Battad. Among those in attendance during the ceremony and groundbreaking were Nakamura, Kaua‘i County Board of Water Supply Vice Chairman Tom Shigemoto, Tait and Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Sr. Vice President Len Dempsey. The project is estimated to be completed in 2027. Contact Kaua‘i County Department of Water at 808-245-5455 or via email at publicrelations@kauaiwater.org with any questions or for additional information.

Avian flu prompts state to request pause on interisland transportation of birds Hawaiʻi Public Radio HPR News Staff December 16, 2024 Original Article In response to the detection of the avian flu virus in Hawaiʻi, state agencies are asking the public to hold off on moving poultry and other bird species between islands for the next three months to prevent the spread. The state Department of Agriculture made the request in a news release on Friday. It said the ask for a voluntary pause was a suggestion from Moloka‘i Sen. Lynn DeCoite, who is also a farmer. The virus was first detected in Hawaiʻi last month and had not been detected in the islands prior. It is highly pathogenic and can spread between birds through contact or if birds come into contact with contaminated material. The public can report animal illnesses to the agriculture department by calling 808-483-7100. Though human cases are rare, residents can call the state Department of Health at 808-586-4586 if they develop symptoms after being exposed to sick birds.