KAILUA-KONA — Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha (SD3 - Kona, Kaʻū, and Volcano) and Representative Nicole E. Lowen (HD6 - Kailua-Kona, Honokōhau, Kalaoa, Pu‘uanahulu, Puakō, portion of Waikoloa) are inviting West Hawaiʻi residents, families, and community members to attend the Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group Community Open House on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Kailua Pier. Established by House Concurrent Resolution 191 (2025) and organized by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group brings together community members, cultural practitioners, recreational and commercial ocean users, government agencies, and other stakeholders to help shape a shared vision for the future stewardship of Kailua Bay and the Kailua Pier area. The Community Open House offers an opportunity for residents to learn about ongoing planning efforts, connect with members of the working group, and provide valuable feedback on the future of one of West Hawaiʻi’s most treasured coastal resources. The afternoon will feature: • ʻOhana-friendly water activities • ʻIke kūpuna and fishing talks • Updates on Kailua Pier and Kailua Bay improvement plans • Interactive opportunities for community input and discussion “Kailua Bay is a place where culture, recreation, tourism, and our local way of life all come together,” said Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha. “The future of this wahi pana should be guided by the people who know and care for it. I encourage everyone to attend, share their manaʻo, and help shape a stewardship plan that honors our community, our culture, and future generations.” “Our community has a deep connection to Kailua Bay, and this Community Open House is an important response to the many community members who have reached out to our offices over the years with concerns and ideas about the Bay’s future,” said Representative Nicole E. Lowen. “Whether you fish, paddle, swim, welcome visitors, or simply enjoy spending time at the Pier with your family, your voice matters. I hope residents of all ages will join us.” The legislators expressed their appreciation to DLNR and the members of the Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group for their continued collaboration and commitment to community-driven stewardship. Community members of all ages are encouraged to attend. For more information, please visit: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/kailua-pier-open-house/. Event Details: Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group Community Open House Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2026 Time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Location: Kailua Pier, Kailua-Kona ###

WHO/WHAT: Community Resource Fair. Hosted by: Senator Rachele Lamosao (Senate District 19 — Pearl City, Waipahu, West Loch Estates, Hono‘uli‘uli, Ho‘opili) Senator Brandon Elefante (Senate District 16 — ‘Aiea, ‘Aiea Heights, Hālawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades, and Pearl City) Representative Gregg Takayama (House District 34 — Pearl City, Waiau, Pacific Palisades) Representative Cory M. Chun (House District 35 — Portions of Pearl City and Waipahu, Crestview) WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, July 18, 2026 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon Mānana Elementary School 1147 Kumano Street, Pearl City, HI 96782 PRESENTER: State Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen EXHIBITORS: Board of Water Supply Honolulu Police Department Honolulu Fire Department Mānana Security Watch Pearl City Neighborhood Board AARP Honolulu Real Property Tax Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Hawaiian Electric Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau And more! PURPOSE: The Community Resource Fair is designed to keep the community informed and connected. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation will provide updates on current and upcoming transportation projects in the area, including road work and other improvements that may affect residents and traffic patterns. The event will also connect community members with government agencies, neighborhood organizations, and local service providers offering programs, resources, and information on public safety, emergency preparedness, agriculture, and other initiatives that support the well-being of our communities. ###

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI — Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi (District 8 – Kauaʻi, Niʻihau) was honored by the Legislative Assembly and the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in recognition of his distinguished public service and his heritage as a descendant of Azorean immigrants. The tribute was presented during the Celebrations of the Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores 2026 on May 25, 2026—Azores Day—in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island. Senate President Kouchi was recognized in the official ceremonies after being nominated for recognition as a descendant of Azoreans who have made significant contributions to public life in Hawaiʻi. The annual Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, commonly known as Azores Day, is the region’s highest civic observance, celebrating the history, culture, and accomplishments of the Azorean people. The official ceremonies recognize individuals whose achievements exemplify the enduring contributions of the Azorean diaspora around the world. Senate President Kouchi was one of six recipients to receive the Autonomous Insignia of Recognition, an honor bestowed upon individuals for their merits, civic achievements and service. “It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the people of the Azores, the homeland of my great-grandmother and so many others who left in search of opportunity and a better life,” said Senate President Kouchi. “Their courage and commitment to family and community helped shape Hawaiʻi into the vibrant, diverse place we know today. I am deeply humbled to accept this recognition on behalf of my family and the many descendants of Portuguese immigrants who continue to strengthen our communities.” Raised on Kauaʻi, Senate President Kouchi is the great-grandson of Maria Victoria Sousa, an immigrant from São Miguel, Azores, Portugal, who arrived in Hawaiʻi aboard the steamship Bell Rock on November 2, 1883. Senate President Kouchi’s recognition highlights the longstanding historical and cultural ties between Hawaiʻi and the Azores. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, thousands of Azorean immigrants settled throughout the Hawaiian Islands, where they made lasting contributions to agriculture, commerce, public service, and civic life. Their descendants continue to enrich the diverse cultural fabric of Hawaiʻi and play important roles in communities across the state. ### Photos from the event in the Azores are available here.

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.

Hawaiʻi State Legislature's Kūpuna Caucus presents bill package Maui Now N/A February 12, 2025 Original Article Members of the Kūpuna Caucus announced a bill package focused on enhancing the quality of life for Hawaiʻi’s seniors, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Pictured (Front row): Rep. Linda Ichiyama, Rep. Cory M. Chun, Sen. Troy Hashimoto, Sen. Sharon Moriwaki, Sen. Lynn DeCoite; (Back row): Kealii Lopez (state director, AARP), Caroline Cadirao (director, Executive Office on Aging), Sen. Kurt Fevella and Rep. Ikaika Olds. Present at the press conference but not in photo were Rep. Lisa Marten and Rep. Garner M. Shimizu. Photo Coutesy: Hawaiʻi State Legislature The Hawaiʻi State Legislature’s Kūpuna Caucus convened by state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki and Rep. Cory M. Chun shared their 2025 legislative package, a set of bills focused on enhancing the quality of life for seniors across the state. These proposed measures include expanding access to healthcare, addressing the need for more food security and improving affordable housing options. The Kūpuna Caucus’ package consists of five bills: SB877 / HB702 Relating to human services Appropriates funds to increase the funding for Medicaid in-home services, conditioned on the Department of Human Services obtaining the maximum federal matching funds. SB878 / HB703 Relating to kupuna housing Extends the sunset date for the State Rent Supplement Program for Kūpuna to 6/30/2028. SB879 / HB701 Relating to taxation Establishes a refundable Family Caregiver Tax Credit for nonpaid family caregivers. Requires the Department of Taxation to report to the Legislature before the convening of each Regular Session. SB880 / HB705 Relating to the Executive Office on Aging Establishes a temporary Medi-Medi Project within the Hawaiʻi State Health Insurance Assistance Program administered by the Executive Office on Aging to assist older adults, Medicare beneficiaries, individuals with disabilities and other underserved populations who may qualify for various low-income subsidy programs to gain access to their benefits. Requires the Executive Office on Aging to submit reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. SB881 /HB704 Relating to food security Establishes the Hawaiʻi Food Security Special Fund to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit levels to those provided in federal fiscal year 2023. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. “We are committed to having our seniors receive the support they need to live with dignity and independence, especially during this period of time in their lives,” Moriwaki said. “This legislative package is a crucial step towards building a more inclusive and equitable future for all generations.”

Kirstin Downey: Bills Could Speed Up Rebuilding Of Lahaina's Front Street Honolulu Civil Beat Kristin Downey February 21, 2025 Original Article Some of the regulatory mire that has choked Lahaina’s recovery may be clearing up. Pending state legislation would allow buildings anywhere in Hawaiʻi that are destroyed in certain types of disasters to be rebuilt if the replacement structure has the same footprint and overall dimensions. It seems odd that such legislation is needed at all, as it is hard to imagine why fire victims should be doubly victimized — first by the event and then by bureaucratic gridlock. But that has been the situation in fire-ravaged Lahaina, where owners of homes and stores have been left dangling for more than 18 months as beleaguered and overwhelmed Maui County officials drag their feet, seemingly struggling to juggle the conflicting demands of the state’s convoluted regulatory land-use thicket. “All that’s been introduced is a positive for homeowners and commercial property owners,” said Kaleo Schneider, whose family owns several buildings on Lahaina’s Front Street that had housed 20 small retail stores, including Honolulu Cookie Co. and Wyland Gallery. “Anything that happens is a positive.” Senate Bill 830 , introduced by Sens. Troy Hashimoto and Stanley Chang, would narrow the definition of the term “development” in coastal zone management law by excluding some kinds of government oversight when properties are impacted by “certain events.” The legislation defines those events as things — like fires or earthquakes — that are so bad they cause the state’s governor or a county’s mayor to declare a state of emergency. However, the bill specifically excludes properties harmed by “waves, storm surges, high tide or shoreline erosion.” The measure won unanimous support Wednesday in a Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing chaired by Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz. He amended the bill to include proposed language from the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources that would allow exemptions for structures that had been deemed lawful before the disaster occurred. The DLNR’s testimony suggests that it will permit and promptly process “submerged land leases” that existed along Lahaina’s Front Street seawall, as that “stretch of shoreline has been armored for over a century.” A companion bill in the House, House Bill 1181 , has passed its second hearing before the Water and Land Committee and has moved to the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. The legislation appears to be moving quickly. Another measure that would help speed up reconstruction of Lahaina’s historic core is Senate Bill 1296 , which specifically exempts some structures in the town’s Lahaina Historic Landmark District from being required to obtain what is called a Special Management Area use permit or minor permit, obligations that are ordinarily imposed on proposed new construction. That measure is sponsored by Sens. Angus McKelvey, who represents Lahaina, and Lorraine Inouye of the Big Island. It was approved by the Water and Land Committee, but the Judiciary Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing on it, and there is no companion bill in the House. Lahaina is Hawaiʻi’s treasure box. This remarkably condensed area of about 2 square miles represents almost all of the distinctive periods of Hawaiʻi’s history — from the arrival of the ancient Hawaiians, through the ruling lineages of Maui, to the early Kamehameha dynasty and into the monarchy, to places associated with Hawaiʻi’s adoption of near-universal literacy in the 1830s and also to sites associated with the missionary, whaling and plantation eras. It’s also the single place that most comprehensively draws together the heritage of so many of the demographic groups that make up Hawaiʻi’s unique ethnic mix today . Historically Lahaina has been an economic engine for Maui, and its most popular tourist destination. With the demise of the sugar industry, Maui is almost entirely dependent on tourism as its economic generator. Maui’s mounting financial woes are underscoring the need to push Lahaina’s redevelopment ahead. The island’s hotel occupancy rate has been hovering at the lowest level in 35 years, except for the Covid-19 pandemic era, and its unemployment rate has fallen only because thousands of workers have moved away, according to the December 2024 forecast by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Economic Research Organization . Lahaina’s displaced residents, meanwhile, became increasingly disturbed by the slow pace of rebuilding, with many reporting they have been told by Maui County officials that it could take up to five years before they could move back home, including two years to get through the county permitting process and two more years for construction work. They organized a letter-writing campaign to Gov. Josh Green, pleading for his intervention, and in December, Green issued a proclamation exempting some properties from coastal zone management restrictions. Supporters of the proposed legislation say it will extend the governor’s protections. “We need the bills to pass to be an additional buffer so we are still covered,” Schneider said. Dozens of displaced Lahaina residents and business owners have submitted testimony begging the Legislature to act. “As we struggle to pay our mortgage and condo fees for a home that doesn’t exist, our financial situation gets scarier by the day,” wrote Elise Strong, a Lahaina homeowner forced to move to Montana. “Lahaina has so much recovery to do. It is all so hard. Please help us to be able to come home, and to have a home again, as soon as possible. I don’t know how long we can afford these bills with no home to live in.” The future of the separate historic landmark district bill is more uncertain. The Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation has endorsed the measure. Its executive director, Kiersten Faulkner, said she is also monitoring the other bills to see how they develop. Prompt action by the Legislature is desperately needed, Schneider said. “It’s necessary and a step in the right direction,” Schneider said. “We were sitting in the dark without anyone paying attention.”