The Board of Water Supply’s (BWS) board members will take up the issue of Haiku Stairs at their April 27, 2020, board meeting. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was published on January 23, 2020, and the 60-day challenge period ended in March 2020. While the FEIS did provide a thorough analysis of the alternatives, the BWS’s preferred action is removal of the stairs. Chief Engineer and Manager Ernest Lau stated, “The BWS’s mission is to provide Oahu residents with a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply. Managing Haiku Stairs draws BWS staff, financial, and other resources away from our core mission to efficiently and effectively meet the water demand of our customers.” BWS will be providing a number of options for submitting testimony. All testimony received in advance of the meeting will be posted at www.boardofwatersupply.com/haikustairs. Board Chair Bryan Andaya stated, “We know that this is matter of great significance and interest for the community, and we want to ensure all those who wish to testify will be given the opportunity.” In addition to offering video conferencing and call-in testimony, the board has moved the start time of the meeting from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm so the public can “attend” the board meeting by watching Facebook Live on the BWS Facebook page or on their website at: www.boardofwatersupply.com/haikustairs. For questions regarding the board meeting or Haiku Stairs, please call Kathleen Pahinui at (808) 748-5319. It is expected the board will take action at the April 27 meeting. TESTIFY IN ADVANCE Email by 12:00 PM Monday, April 27, 2020 haikustairstestimony@hbws.org Mail by Friday, April 24, 2020 Board of Water Supply 630 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI  96843 Submit Testimony Online Complete a testimony form online here: https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/testimony TESTIFY ON APRIL 27, 2020 Call-In Testimony Phone: (808) 748-6040 When the testimony call-in line is open for the public hearing or for each item on the regular meeting agenda, callers will be placed in queue and brought up to testify one at a time. In-Person Testimony Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person testimony before the board will not be accepted in observance of emergency stay-at-home mandates. Video Conferencing Testimony A live video conference station will be set up in the lobby of the BWS main offices at 630 S. Beretania Street. Testifiers may show up and register to testify by video. Face covering is required in order to enter the building (Emergency Order 2020-07). Social distancing guidelines will be observed and testifiers will be brought into the building one at a time. FINAL HAIKU STAIRS EIS The Environmental Notice (PDF) Haiku Stairs EIS (See PDF Links Below) Source: https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/haikustairs

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) advises Oahu motorists that nightly closures have been cancelled scheduled for the Kapolei Interchange project for next week starting on Sunday April 26, 2020. Daytime work on the H-1 Freeway will occur as listed in the schedule below. Motorists are notified that working hours have been extended to start at 8 p.m. to maximize construction during this time of lighter traffic. HDOT will continue to post weekly roadwork updates as the schedule is subject to change due to Covid-19. Motorists are advised to allow for extra travel time to get to their destinations. Electronic message boards will be in place to notify motorists of the closures and detours. Special Duty Police Officers will be on-site to assist with traffic control and safety procedures. Emergency vehicles, first responders, and TheBus have been notified of the full closure and will not be allowed through the work zone. All roadwork is weather permitting. To view a map of closures scheduled each week on Oahu state roadways, you may visit the HDOT website at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/roadwork/. Source: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/nightly-closures-scheduled-for-the-kapolei-interchange-project-for-the-week-starting-on-april-26/

Today marks one month since the state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started for all passengers arriving in Hawai'i from out of state. Yesterday, 421 people arrived in Hawai'i including 109 visitors and 166 residents. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawai'i daily, including residents and visitors. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. Crew = flight crew members Intended Resident = people who are moving to Hawai'i such as military members and their families, and former residents who intend to live in Hawai'i Resident = people who have a Hawai'i ID Transit = people who are in transit to another location through Hawai'i and aren’t leaving the airport Visitor = people who do not have a Hawai'i ID including essential health care workers, essential federal workers, former residents such as mainland college students coming to stay with family, military on temporary assignment, and leisure travelers For Hawai'i Tourism Authority and state updates regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/ Source: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4460/042320-passenger-count-press-release.pdf #HTA #GoHTA #PassengerArrivals #COVID19 #Coronavirus

The Special Committee will reconvene tomorrow to assess and advise the Senate regarding the State of Hawai'i's COVID-19 plans and procedures to include, but not limited to: Confirm the development of the state departmental plans and procedures; Review and assess current state departmental plans and procedures; Review and assess whether state departmental plans and procedures are properly and timely implemented to safeguard public health and safety; Review and assess the management of federal aid packages; and To communicate and disseminate information obtained therefrom. The committee will be meeting with the following: 12:00 p.m. Department of the Attorney General Ms. Clare Connors, Attorney General Department of Transportation – Airports Division Mr. Ross Higashi, Deputy Director Hawai'i Tourism Authority Mr. Chris Tatum, CEO 1:15 p.m. Department of Health Dr. Bruce Anderson, Director Dr. Sarah Park, State Epidemiologist 3:00 p.m. Hawai'i Economic and Community Recovery & Resiliency Plan Mr. Alan Oshima, Hawai'i Economic and Community Recovery and Resiliency Navigator Please note that there may be committee members or invited speakers participating remotely via video or teleconference. The meeting will be available for live viewing on ‘Olelo Channel 49 on O‘ahu and will go out live for pick up by neighbor island public access channels. The meeting will also be livestreaming on olelo.org/49. No public testimony will be accepted. If you require special assistance, please call 586-6800 or email your request to waysandmeans@capitol.hawaii.gov.

A quick look at this weeks initial unemployment claims for the week ending April 18, 2020. Shown below is a table containing this week's unemployment data – initial claims filed as compared to the same week last year. "Initial claims" initiate a determination of eligibility to begin a claimant's benefit year (new claims) or subsequent period of unemployment (additional claims) within the benefit year. Summary PDF: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/data_reports/unemployment/initial_unemp_summary.pdf Source: https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/economic/unemployment/ #HawaiiUnemployment #DLIR #DepartmentOfLabor #COVID19 #Coronavirus

The Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is mailing out the first batch of checks under the COVID-19 Emergency Farmer Relief Program today. HDOA received 333 applications for the grants and was able to award 106 proposals that ranged from $2,000 for individual farmers and ranchers and up to $10,000 for non-profit organizations, commodity groups, and agricultural associations that have experienced financial damage due to the COVID-19 emergency. The total funding for the program was $250,000 which was drawn from the State’s barrel tax fund (Agriculture Development and Food Security Special Fund) and made available through Gov. David Ige’s March 4 emergency proclamation. The Ulupono Foundation contributed an additional $20,000 to specifically assist local pork producers with feed costs, as they no longer can rely on food scraps from closed restaurants. Unfortunately, the limited funds could only fund fewer than one-third of all the requests. HDOA awarded 86 individual farmers and ranchers $2,000 each for a total of $172,000. Thirteen non-profit agricultural organizations were awarded a total of $76,000 (ranging from $4,000 to $10,000). Relief funds may be used to help utilize an oversupply of agricultural products resulting from the decreased demand due to closures of restaurants, schools and other businesses. “The department was able to fast-track the review and fiscal processing in order to get the funds to farmers, ranchers and agricultural operations as soon as possible,” said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture. “It was critical that we get these checks to them quickly to help ease some of their urgent financial burdens and keep them in business until they can adjust to the changing marketplace or until more assistance programs become established.” The emergency relief program was a priority for HDOA as well as the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), which processes and prints checks. The coordination and cooperation of the accounting division at DAGS was key in processing the grant checks in about three weeks. Applications received by the March 27 deadline totaled more than $1.2 million dollars. Applications were reviewed by a panel and priority was given to proposals that demonstrated significant financial damage caused specifically by or exacerbated by the COVID-19 situation that poses a serious threat of permanently shutting down the applicant’s agricultural operations. Applicants were also required to submit W-9 taxpayer forms. Grants were awarded statewide: To provide further financial assistance to agricultural producers, HDOA’s Agricultural Loan Division is also administering the Emergency Agricultural Loan Program, which provides low-interest emergency loans. Eligible farmers may apply for emergency loans of up to $150,000 at 3 percent interest. Loans of $100,000 or less will not require credit denials from other financial institutions, which would normally be required for agricultural loans. The board also waived the three-year residency requirements normally required for agricultural loans. Since the program was approved by the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture last week, 96 loan applications have been received statewide. Besides emergency loans, HDOA also offers micro loans for those needing loans of $25,000 or less. Micro loans involve less paperwork and offer swifter processing. Farmers interested in applying for emergency or micro loans should contact their nearest HDOA office: Oahu, Kauai, Maui – (808) 973-9460 Hilo – (808) 933-9977 Kona – (808) 323-7591 In addition, several farmers with existing agricultural loans are working with HDOA’s loan officers to work out payment relief plans. For more information on agricultural loans, go to the division’s webpage:  http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/agl/ #DepartmentOfAgriculture #FarmerRelief #HDOA #FoodSecuritySpecialFund

To help slow the spread of COVID-19, please conduct business online or over the phone. For government services online, go to: https://portal.ehawaii.gov/home/online-services#onlineApps More information about state, city and county government departments and agencies: https://portal.ehawaii.gov/government/departments-and-agencies/

Yesterday, 488 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 139 visitors and 171 residents. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawai‘i daily, including residents and visitors. The state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started on March 26th for all passengers arriving in Hawai‘i from out of state. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. #HawaiiHTA #Tourism #PassengerArrivals #COVID19 #Coronavirus

Six Additional COVID-19 Cases Reported The City and County of Honolulu has three (3) additional coronavirus cases and Hawai‘i County has three (3) new cases in the latest report from the Dept. of Health. Five of the cases are adults and one is a minor. Hawaiicovid19.com Cluster Updates DOH continues to investigate and monitor several clusters of COVID-19. No change in case numbers at Maui Memorial Medical Center. No new cases at McDonald’s restaurants at Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i island. Tests on a healthcare worker at Hale Makua on Maui came back negative and monitoring is continuing after one confirmed positive COVID-19 result in a patient. #DOH #HawaiiDepartmentofHealth #MauiMemorialMedicalCenter #McDonalds #COVID19

Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation declaring Kaua‘i a disaster area, after heavy rains on Mar. 27 and 28, 2020 lead to flooding and extensive damage to public property. The declaration provides relief for disaster damage, losses and suffering, and serves to protect the health, safety and welfare of Kaua‘i residents. It also implements emergency management functions as allowed by law and authorizes the expenditure of state funds as appropriated for the quick and efficient relief of damage and losses that have resulted from the floods. The emergency proclamation is effective immediately and continues through June 20, 2020.

Senator J. Kalani English (Senate District 7 – Hāna, East and Upcountry Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe), and Representative Lynn DeCoite (House District 13 – Molokaʻi, East Maui, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe and Molokini) announced today that all results from a COVID-19 community testing earlier this month in Hāna and on Moloka‘i came back negative. Mahalo nui to Mayor Mike Victorino, the County of Maui and Dr. Scott Miscovich for creating a team effort to ensure our communities are safe and healthy. “We are so pleased that these initial test results are negative for Moloka’i and Hāna and have not found any more COVID-19 cases in these remote communities,” said Senator English. “We thanks Dr. Miscovich and his team for providing this testing.” “It is important that we keep travel restrictions in place and keep the Hāna Highway closed to continue containing the spread of COVID-19,” said Representative DeCoite. The testing took place on April 10 and April 17 in Hāna, and April 7 and April 16 on Moloka’i following the first confirmed cases in those communities. #COVID19 #Coronavirus #Molokai #Hana #LynnDeCoite Rep. Lynn DeCoite #HILeg2020

The Special Committee will reconvene tomorrow to assess and advise the Senate regarding the State of Hawaii's COVID-19 plans and procedures to include, but not limited to: Confirm the development of the state departmental plans and procedures; Review and assess current state departmental plans and procedures; Review and assess whether state departmental plans and procedures are properly and timely implemented to safeguard public health and safety; Review and asses the management of federal aid packages; and To communicate and disseminate information obtained therefrom. The special committee will be meeting with the following: 11:30 a.m. Department of Taxation Ms. Rona Suzuki, Director * H.R.6074 – Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. * H.R.6201 – Families First Coronavirus Response Act. * H.R.748 – CARES Act. * H.R.266 - Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. 12:15 p.m. Hawaii Agriculture Foundation Ms. Denise Yamaguchi, Executive Director 1:00 p.m. Department of Health Dr. Bruce Anderson, Director Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Dr. Steven Hankins, Lead Coordinator 2:15 p.m. Department of Human Resources Development Mr. Ryker Wada, Director Please note that there may be committee members or invited speakers participating remotely via video or teleconference. The meeting will be available for live viewing on ‘Olelo Channel 53 on O‘ahu and will go out live for pick up by neighbor island public access channels. The meeting will also be streamed live online at olelo.org/53. No public testimony will be accepted. If you require special assistance, please call 586-6800 or email your request to waysandmeans@capitol.hawaii.gov. #COVID19 #Coronavirus #WaysAndMeans #HawaiiSenate