Bills aimed at protecting vulnerable youth approved by Hawaiʻi Legislature Big Island Now May 28, 2025 Original Article State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura of the Big Island, who represents Puna at the state Capitol in Honolulu, is lauding passage during the 2025 session of the Hawaiʻi Legislature of three bills aimed at strengthening protections and expanding support for some of the most vulnerable youth throughout the state. Senate Bills 292 and 951 along with House Bill 613 focus on accountability, safety and access to essential services. “These bills reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable keiki,” San Buenaventura, chairwoman of the state Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, said in a press release outlining the measures. “This session, we made it a priority to make sure that young people in crisis are met with compassion, support and real opportunities to heal and thrive.” SENATE BILL 292 : Relating to Sexual Exploitation SB 292 establishes safe harbor protections for survivors of sexual exploitation, shielding them from prosecution for related offenses when seeking medical or law enforcement help. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which supports the bill, called this initiative crucial in its written testimony to the state Senate Judiciary Committee and wrote it represents a significant step toward combating sex trafficking and providing justice for victims, particularly Native Hawaiians — who are disproportionately impacted by this form of exploitation. “Establishing safe harbor protections for survivors of sexual exploitation sends a clear message that our state is committed to protecting the rights and well-being of all individuals, especially our most vulnerable populations,” the agency’s testimony says. SENATE BILL 951 : Relating to Child Protection SB 951 strengthens child abuse reporting protocols by requiring the disclosure of military affiliation and coordination with appropriate military authorities. Hawaiʻi Military Affairs Council wrote in testimony to a joint hearing of the state Senate Health and Human Services and Public Safety and Military Affairs committees that there is a critical gap in child protection for military families. While federal law requires Department of Defense personnel to report suspected child abuse or neglect to military and local authorities, there is no reciprocal requirement for state and local child welfare. That gap can result in vulnerable military families missing out on crucial services. “This measure would establish a reciprocal state requirement, enhancing coordination between state child welfare services and military support systems, ultimately improving access to prevention and rehabilitation services for military children and families,” the agency wrote in its testimony. The approach is already being used in 35 other states. HOUSE BILL 613 : Relating to Homeless Youth HB 613 creates a Safe Spaces for Youth Program under the Office of Youth Services, providing shelters and support for unaccompanied homeless youth across all counties. “Hawaiʻi is facing a crisis in homelessness, with our youngest community members bearing hardship,” the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi wrote in testimony to the state House Committee on Human Services and Homeleessness. The party said 1 in 10 young adults age 18 to 25 years old and 1 in 30 youths age 13 to 17 years old in the islands experience some form of homelessness without the support of a parent or guardian. They are among the most vulnerable members of the community — facing heightened risks of mental health issues, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, physical violence and disruptions in education. “By passing this bill, the Legislature will take a crucial step in breaking the cycle of youth homelessness and protecting Hawaiʻi’s future generations,” wrote the state’s Democratic Party. “Providing stable shelter, food security, mental health support and pathways to education and employment will empower these youth to build self-sufficient and productive lives.”

PRINTABLE PDF VERSION

The official website of the Hawaiʻi Senate Majority Caucus. 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WATCH HEARINGS UPCOMING HEARINGS FIND YOUR SENATOR OUR LEADERSHIP RONALD D. KOUCHI President of the Senate MICHELLE N. KIDANI Vice President of the Senate LORRAINE INOUYE Majority Whip DRU MAMO KANUHA Majority Leader TROY N. HASHIMOTO Assistant Majority Whip GLENN WAKAI Majority Floor Leader JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Assistant Majority Whip LYNN DECOITE Assistant Majority Floor Leader CHRIS LEE Assistant Majority Whip LES IHARA, JR. Majority Policy Leader HERBERT "TIM" RICHARDS, III Assistant Majority Whip STAY CONNECTED: Load More

The Sunshine Blog: Here’s When It Pays To Be A Doctor — And A Governor Honolulu Civil Beat The Sunshine Blog January 10, 2025 Original Article Dr. Green goes to Washington: Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green has become the leading voice — at least for the moment — opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Our very own Dr. Gov. Green was all over Washington, D.C., this week, lobbying senators and telling anyone who would listen about the time in 2019 when he led a medical mission to Samoa to fight a raging measles outbreak only to find Kennedy and his anti-vax campaign had gotten there first. The country had experienced a drop in vaccination rates before the outbreak, driven in part by fear after the death of two infants in 2018 who had received a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that had been improperly prepared. But Kennedy has also been blamed for exacerbating the problem. In 2019, just months before an emergency was declared, he traveled to Samoa and met with prominent anti-vaccination activists on the island. And then during the height of the outbreak, when children were dying, he sent a letter to the prime minister questioning whether it was the MMR vaccine itself that had caused the public health crisis. By the time the outbreak had run its course, thousands of people were sickened and 83 died, many of them children. Green, who is passionate and articulate about the problems that come when people refuse to get vaccinated, had an op-ed published in The New York Times this week and was featured in a Washington Post story and on cable media including CNN and Fox News. And he was trending on social sites. “I have no personal animus toward Mr. Kennedy on a lot of his policies,” Green told Civil Beat’s Washington correspondent Nick Grube, who caught him as he was sitting on a plane waiting to take off back to Hawaiʻi. “I just have an absolute objection to having the secretary of Health and Human Services be against vaccines, and he is. He can say what he wants to try to mitigate the damage, but everyone knows about his vaccine skepticism.” Green met with nearly a dozen senators from both sides of the aisle, including Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ron Wyden of Oregon. He was reluctant to name anyone else, he told Grube, because they were worried about political fallout. And besides, Green told Grube, he was really there on official state business like checking on federal cash that could and should be headed our way and other things of interest to Hawai‘i. While in town he worked with two different advocacy groups, 3.14 Action and Protect Our Care, to push his message and coordinate meetings with lawmakers. Already 3.14 Action has featured the governor in one of its advertisements opposing Kennedy. Green, who The Blog has heard would really like to be the country’s health secretary himself one day, told Grube he anticipates returning to D.C. in the future to crusade against Kennedy, including testifying before Congress if the opportunity allows. He’ll even talk to Donald Trump. Check, please: Wednesday is Opening Day of the 2025 Hawaiʻi Legislature, so that can only mean one thing: state legislators will rush to hold campaign fundraisers before the opening gavel falls because they’re prohibited by state law from holding organized fundraisers during session. The Blog is referring specifically to Sens. Lynn DeCoite and Jarrett Keohokalole , who asked for donations at Capitol Modern Tuesday night. It’s conveniently located right across Richards Street from the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. On Wednesday night Sens. Chris Lee , Donovan Dela Cruz , Henry Aquino and Troy Hashimoto passed their hats at Bishop Museum. Aquino, DeCoite and Keohokalole are planning ahead — they’re not up for reelection until 2028. House bills proposing to end the acceptance of all campaign contributions during legislative sessions (not just at organized fundraisers) passed that chamber unanimously in the 2023 session but were not heard by the Senate. Civil Beat opinion writers are closely following efforts to bring more transparency and accountability to state and local government — at the Legislature, the county level and in the media. Help us by sending ideas and anecdotes to sunshine@civilbeat.org . The mysterious making of the rules: The rulebook dictating how Hawaiʻi lawmakers conduct the public’s business is a big deal. The Blog has long contended that many of the most urgently needed legislative reforms could be accomplished with simple rule changes . With the start of a new biennium Wednesday, new rules must be adopted. Actually there are two rulebooks, one for the House and another for the Senate . And how they approach the task says a lot about the differences between the two chambers. The House formed a four-member Advisory Committee on Rules and Procedures that has been reaching out to representatives for their suggestions regarding the rules. The Senate, meh, not so much. Here’s how Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads puts it: “I think the Senate tends to be a little more, what’s the word I’m looking for? You’re a senator. If you have a problem with something, you need to raise it. We’re not necessarily going to go look for you to solicit your concerns.” Rhoads says he’s heard nothing about possible new Senate rules in the lead-up to the new session. Which, come to think of it, is not so different from what the House is doing. Its advisory committee is meeting in private, much to the consternation of reform advocates like Gary Hooser. The former senator writes in his own blog that current House rule No. 20 requires that the committee’s meetings be conducted openly: “Every meeting of a committee of the House … held for the purpose of making decisions on matters referred to the committee shall be open to the public.” But House Judiciary Chair David Tarnas points out that this House advisory committee is just that — advisory. “They’re not making decisions,” Tarnas says. “They’re recommending and they’re advisory. The decision-making itself is when we vote on it.” That will presumably occur soon after the Legislature convenes. That’s when we’ll know if either chamber is serious about limiting the power of conference chairs, preventing the money committees from controlling non-fiscal matters, eliminating anonymous bill introductions and so forth. Hope springs eternal: And speaking of being serious about reform, a hui of good governance groups gathered at the Capitol Thursday to launch what they called “Good Government Lobby Day.” The goal of the Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action, Our Hawai‘i, Common Cause and Clean Elections Coalition is to advocate for government reforms that will strengthen transparency, accountability and fairness in the legislative process. “Welcome to your House of Representatives,” Rep. Della Au Belatti said as she welcomed some two dozen folks to Conference Room 325. She said she had not seen such a level of reform activity in her 20 years in the Legislature, adding that a revived Good Government Caucus at the Legislature is already working on bills. Rep. Della Au Belatti at the Good Governance Lobby Day meeting at the Capitol Tuesday. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024) Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto said the new energy for reform began in 2022 when two lawmakers were arrested for and later convicted on bribery charges. There had been a culture, she said, that allowed Ty Cullen and J. Kalani English to get away with corruption. But there’s a lot of new blood in the Leg today. The groups, which spent half of the day meeting with other lawmakers, are pushing for a range of reforms including making public testimony on bills available early, doing away with anonymous bill introductions, taking non-financial bills out of money committees, enacting term limits and establishing full public financing of campaigns. Women of the house: One-third (or 32.43%) of the total number of state legislators in the 50 states and territories in 2025 are women, a slight increase from just a few years ago. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada are at or above the 50% mark of women state legislators, the highest representation nationwide. How does Hawaiʻi do? Compared to many other states and territories, pretty good at 40.8%. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, for example, each have legislatures with less than 20% women members. The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives now has its first-ever female speaker, Nadine Nakamura. Two women have led the state Senate, Colleen Hanabusa and Donna Kim.

State lawmakers plans for homeowners insurance relief faces hurdles KHON2 Stephen Florino January 28, 2025 Original Article HONOLULU (KHON2) — State lawmakers say they’re looking at all they can to help homeowners deal with sky-rocketing insurance rates. But experts say it’s a tough road ahead. Because of massive disasters like the Lahaina wildfire and the fires in Los Angeles, insurance experts are predicting a grim future for insurance rates. “I foresee the rates will stay high and depending on how the rest of 2025 goes, if we continue to see disasters that are worse than expected, then we will probably see higher rates in the future as well,” said insurance agent Kendrick Nishiguchi. One plan that lawmakers have to help is to resurrect the Hawaii Property Insurance Association and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund. But that admittedly has some hurdles. “HPIA is not set up to write condominium insurance,” said Matt Chun, HPIA board chair at a joint committee hearing at the state capitol. “It’s a new, developing event, emerging event. I believe some of the catalyst is the Lahaina, Maui fires because what it did is, it made a lot of our standard carriers gunshy, re-evaluate what they’d like to write, and started to not wanna write some of these buildings.” HPIA is already operating but needs to be re-structured to help the current situation. But the Hurricane Relief Fund is starting from scratch and is still finalizing contract details with consultant AON. “There’s been no firm timeline,” said Ed Haik, HHRF board chair at the same hearing. “We’re still in the contracting phase which really is not incumbent on hid or the board so far.” “If you guys are not under contract yet, can you also start looking for a different company to contract with? Because this is, I mean, getting a little ridiculous I think,” said Rep. Scot Matayoshi, House Consumer Protection & Commerce chair. “It’s a difficult problem,” said Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, Senate Commerce & Consumer Protection chair. “It’s scary. You know if the state of Hawaii just started providing insurance to all homeowners statewide and we have another catastrophe, we could go bankrupt.” Lawmakers are looking at at least 10 insurance bills this session. While even they admit there might not be a silver bullet to the problem, they are looking at anything and everything to help. “I think people need to temper their expecations a little too,” Matayoshi said. “I think people are expecting us come up with a silver bullet, but with the LA wildfires, with other natural disasters around the world really, the re-insurance market is gonna go up and I want people to just be prepared that the solution may not as immediate as they’d like.” “Nothings gonna come quickly enough,” Keohokalole said. “And we’re not likely be able to reduce prices back to what people remember, but we can try and provide some relief and stabilize the market.”

This Senator Thinks Trump Is A Danger To Hawaiʻi. He Hopes To Convince You Too Civil Beat Chad Blair July 20, 2025 Original Article Frustrated by what he sees as a near existential threat to Hawaiʻi from President Donald Trump, a state senator wants to raise public awareness of the impact of the president’s policies on the islands. Karl Rhoads, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is planning a series of public briefings at the Legislature to hear from congressional leaders and others. The goal is to get real-time updates from the experts on exactly how Hawaiʻi is impacted by the Trump administration, and to strategize what can be done about it. The first informational briefing is set for July 31 and will feature U.S. Rep. Ed Case discussing nothing short of “the Rule of Law,” as the agenda notice promises. In an interview with Rhoads at his State Capitol office last week, the senator elaborated on his views about how Trump is ignoring the rule of law, especially when it comes to immigration, taxes, tariffs and grants — “The whole soup to nuts,” Rhoads said — pointing to ongoing national media reports on the Trump actions as well as Civil Beat’s own reporting. Among his concerns are the gutting of the United States Agency for International Development by Elon Musk, now on life support under the control of Marco Rubio’s State Department, and the cuts to the federal Department of Education, which Trump wants to abolish. Can Trump, Rhoads asks, legally shut down entire programs created or funded by Congress, a separate branch of government? “Now you might be able to downsize it,” he said. “And I think the Trump guys are slowly figuring it out that they can. I mean, they’re pushing the boundaries at every point they can. They’re bleeding them to death, basically.” Adding to his frustration is that, while the courts have frequently blocked many of Trump’s actions, extensive damage has already been done. Rhoads is also baffled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s response on several Trump initiatives, including appearing sympathetic to challenging birthright citizenship. “Even if the courts come back and say, ‘No, you shouldn’t have done that,’ it’s too late, because everybody who worked there has been out of a job for four or six months or whatever it turns out to be at that point,” said Rhoads. It will take organizations years to recreate the same expertise that was lost with all the firings and layoffs, he said. “A lot of them probably won’t come back because they’re like, ‘What’s to keep Trump from doing that again?’” Law And Politics As judiciary chair, Rhoads knows well the responsibility and authority of the courts. His committee evaluates nominations of judges and justices. His education and professional career are also rooted in the law. Rhoads holds a law degree from George Washington University and was a summer clerk for a U.S. Intermediate Court of Appeals judge and practiced law for two years. He also understands how other branches of the federal government work, and he understands politics. Before coming to Hawaiʻi, Rhoads served as a legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Eliot Engle of New York, as a legislative aide to former U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York and as an intern for former U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Rhoads is not shy about his disdain for the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. “Proudly a ‘never-Trumper’,” he said. “From the very moment he set foot on the stage, I was like, ‘He’s a joke’.” Rhoads is well aware that politics has always been “a rough and tumble sport,” as he puts it. Where the country is under Trump, he says, is in many ways a “logical conclusion” from the ugly fights that were going on in the 1990s, like the savaging of Hillary Clinton and her proposal for universal health care and the rise of Newt Gingrich and his slash-and-burn Contract with America manifesto on government reform. But what has transpired over the past six months, in Rhoads’s view, is at a different level, and he worries how it will hurt Hawaiʻi. “As judiciary chair, I’m interested primarily in the legal aspect of it,” he said. “The ‘big ugly bill’ is probably the biggest thing that will affect us. I’ve been told already that 47,000 people will lose Medicaid under Med-QUEST coverage. That’s like the size of my entire district.” To Rhoads, everything that Trump and his team want is “completely opposed” to what Hawaiʻi stands for. His outspokenness has not gone unnoticed. Rhoads received threats for pushing an assault-weapons ban at the Legislature last session, a measure that was scuttled by local politics. At the beginning of session, in January, he also received a call from someone claiming to work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “You have no idea what we do for a living,” said the caller, who had a Southern California area code. “You are wholly uneducated on the subject, and maybe you should just focus on the potholes in your district, which are atrocious, and on the level with a Third World country.” Rhoads, who kept that recording and others, said the threats are being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office. Shedding Light Rhoads’ thinks his info briefings, which will be held through the legislative interim, can shed light on critical issues of the day by inviting experts to share what they know and letting lawmakers like him ask questions. No public testimony will be allowed. Other briefings from Rhoads and his committee will examine democratic erosion in other countries. He also would like to bring in Attorney General Anne Lopez or her staff. Rhoads said there is little the Legislature can do about Trump, except for making changes to budget funding and local taxes to cover any cuts. But that does not appear to be a priority for now. Gov. Josh Green and Senate leadership said this month they don’t think a special session will be needed. House Speaker Nadine Nakamura said in an email statement Friday that lawmakers have reserved potential dates for a special session, “but it will not be clear whether we need one until the scope of federal budget cuts are clear.” The deadline for that budget is Sept 30. In the meantime, Rhoads praises Lopez and other Democratic attorneys general for successfully challenging Trump in court on some issues. Just last week Hawaiʻi joined a coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia suing the administration over its “unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary decision” to freeze billions in federal funding just weeks before the school year in Hawaiʻi is set to start. “I want people to realize that what the federal administration is doing does have an impact on Hawaiʻi,” said Rhoads. “Sometimes people sort of feel like, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s all happening in Washington. Nothing’s going to change.’ It’s just not true. It’s taken a bite out of our budgets.” Ultimately, it’s the courts and Congress that are the first line of defense against this White House. But that doesn’t mean everyone else should just do nothing, Rhoads said. “I think everybody who views Trump as a threat to democracy has to do their part, and that’s why I’m working on this stuff,” he said. “I realize being a state senator from Hawaiʻi in the broad scheme of things isn’t that big a deal, but everybody has to do their part.” Civil Beat’s reporting on the Hawaiʻi State Legislature is supported in part by the Donald and Astrid Monson Education Fund.

Debate over landfill site is aired before lawmakers Honolulu Star - Advertiser Ian Bauer January 10, 2025 Original Article The benefits and drawbacks of having Honolulu’s next solid waste landfill located in Central Oahu were highlighted at the state Capitol this week. Two joint Legislature committees held an informational meeting over the city’s plan to site its dump on Dole Food Co. Hawaii property near Wahiawa. That site — meant to allow the city to continue to handle the island’s estimated 225,000 tons of solid waste and related materials it puts into its landfill each year — was first announced by Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Dec. 10. At the Capitol, city Managing Director Mike Formby, city Environmental Services Director Roger Babcock and ENV Deputy Director Michael O’Keefe offered reasons to have the next dump on Dole lands. In part, the trio said it was due to a state-imposed Dec. 31 deadline to find an alternate site, ahead of the planned closure of the 35-year-old Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill in Kapolei, in accordance with a 2019 decision and order by the state Land Use Commission. That West Oahu dump is set to close in 2028, though the landfill will not reach full capacity until 2032, the city said. Conversely, Board of Water Supply Manager and Chief Engineer Ernie Lau noted a landfill not properly sited on the island posed a significant public health and safety risk, as it could affect the potable water supply of Oahu’s underground aquifer. BWS must evaluate the proposed landfill site and, based on its proximity to potable water sources, may approve or reject the proposal. Previously, BWS objected to the city siting a landfill within its so-called “no-pass zone,” an area that covers the interior of the island where Oahu’s potable water aquifer is located. The city’s proposed landfill location — identified as “Area 3, Site 2” in the city’s 2022 Landfill Advisory Committee’s recommendation report — is on agricultural land to the west of Kamehameha Highway, north of Paalaa Uka Pupukea Road, the city said. The city hoped to negotiate purchase of about 150 acres — the amount of land needed for a solid waste landfill — out of what it described as an approximately 2,360-acre parcel now owned by Dole, according to Babcock. “Ninety acres of that is the actual landfill,” he said at the Tuesday meeting. “And the remaining area is for a little bit of a buffer zone as well as storage for equipment, a place for trucks to get off the road, a scale house, etcetera.” Dole has publicly stated opposition to the city locating a landfill on its actively used agricultural lands. Still, Babcock explained that the new landfill — planned for about 800 feet above the island’s aquifer — also offered protections against leakage. He noted the dump site will have “required monitoring wells in the groundwater to detect any unlikely leak” or contamination. “And most importantly, the liner system,” he said, “and the leachate collection system, which together prevent the escape of contaminants from the landfill and prevent contamination of underlying groundwater.” He added that U.S. landfills require “a dual-liner system that consists of both a thick plastic geo- membrane … and it also includes a clay liner.” BUT THE city wants the state Legislature to change a state law, too. Babcock explained the city’s desire to “relax” restrictions under Act 73, which governs where a landfill can legally and safely be located in order to achieve a new, permanent landfill location on Oahu. The 2020 law places restrictions on locating waste-disposal facilities, particularly those close to conservation lands or half-mile “buffer zones” near residential areas, schools or hospitals, as well as near airports or tsunami inundation zones. Babcock said amending Act 73 could do one of two things: reduce buffer zones down to a quarter-mile or eliminate them altogether, thereby opening up more lands for potential city dump sites. Such a legislative change could take time, however. “If that is unsuccessful, then it would be necessary to extend the operations at the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill,” he added. But BWS’ leader expressed his strong reservations over the safety of a landfill being sited above the island’s “freshwater resources.” “Landfills contain contaminants that can enter groundwater if it leaks out of a landfill,” Lau said. “And that leachate is actually pretty contaminated” rainwater. He said “landfills, once constructed, are permanently there.” But cap rock — an area of hard, impervious rock — also rings around Oahu’s coastline like a protective barrier, he added. “The cap rock is a very important geologic feature here because that’s the basis of why the Board of Water Supply over 40 years ago decided to create a ‘no-pass’ area on our island,” Lau said. “Because that cap rock along the coastal areas helps to protect and keep the freshwater inland, and helps to keep large capacities of freshwater inland in these underground, volcanic aquifers.” “And the cap rock is where we would recommend that landfills be considered if they had to be put in,” he said. Noting a U.S. Geological Survey study conducted in 2003, Lau added that all landfills eventually leak — often dispersing into the environment harmful chemicals like arsenic as well as PFAS, or so-called “forever chemicals,” linked to illnesses like cancer. He also noted that USGS’ 1999 “Ground Water Atlas of the United States” showed that groundwater underneath the proposed Wahiawa dump site flows downward, in directions toward Waialua, Mokuleia and Kawailoa. “If leachate were to leak from this area, it might head toward the Waialua-Haleiwa area, and might impact the aquifer down there,” Lau said. “So the contaminant plumes would potentially move to the north.” During the joint meeting of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection and the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment, legislators questioned the city’s overall plans for the new landfill site as well as potential changes to Act 73. Among them, state Sen. Mike Gabbard, chair of the Senate’s committee, asked, “Who has the final say, the Board of Water Supply, City Council, the mayor? Where does it end?” Formby replied the city has set out a plan “to exhaust as many options as we could, respecting the rule of law.” The city, he added, has not “formally made a recommendation for this proposed site to (BWS) yet.” “Right now the mayor firmly believes that the city and county can site a landfill over the aquifer safely,” he said. “Whether or not that gets challenged, and (Chief Engineer Lau) might write us a letter and say, ‘For your specific proposal, I say ‘no,’ in which case, we would appeal that to the (BWS’ board of directors).” “And the board then has the ability to actually override the chief engineer, which would then give us a green light for this proposed site,” said Formby. “We’re just not there yet.” Gabbard also asked, “I’ve heard that Dole is not real excited about selling that land. … Is that true? What’s the latest?” “Our understanding of what Dole has said is that particular, specific location that we have identified would affect their operations,” Babcock replied. “But at the same time they did say that they have other land that they have for sale … so that’s a pretty good indication that they’re interested in talking with us and to find a solution.” After the meeting, Dole Hawaii General Manager Dan Nellis said his company believes the city’s proposed landfill on its Wahiawa property is “untenable.” “Particularly because it is right in the middle of our pineapple fields,” he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser by phone, “and it would create extreme hardship on us, operating our farm.” Nellis confirmed Dole does indeed have other parcels for sale. However, he said the city hasn’t approached his company regarding those available lands. “I just told them initially, ‘Hey, why are you asking to go into our land that we’re farming when we have other land that we’re not farming that is for sale?’” he said, adding the for-sale properties are not far from the proposed landfill site. “They’re pretty close, about a mile away.”

Officials urge action on speeding problem Star Advertiser Victoria Budiono February 3, 2025 Original Article State lawmakers are pushing for stricter penalties on speeding, which has contributed to nearly half of all highway deaths and accounted for 236 fatalities over the past five years, according to the state Department of Transportation. In 2023 alone, speeding played a role in about 60% of fatal traffic crashes. During a town hall meeting Tuesday at Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School, residents of District 27 — Pacific Heights, Nuuanu and Liliha — voiced concerns about speeding on Pali Highway and in residential areas. State Rep. Jenna Takenouchi, who represents the district, invited the Honolulu Police Department to weigh in. HPD officials noted that while the department frequently receives complaints about speeding in the area, about 95% of drivers caught speeding are residents of the neighborhood. Honolulu police officials said residents who want stricter enforcement of speeding laws must be prepared for the consequences. They noted that while many call for more action, some later complain when they receive citations themselves. Officers emphasized that speeding is speeding, no matter how little a driver exceeds the limit. Takenouchi expressed strong support for legislation this year aimed at imposing stricter penalties for speeding, which threatens public safety and contributes to excessive noise for residents. House Bill 54, along with its companion Senate Bill 97, seeks to increase penalties for excessive speeding, elevating the charge to a Class C felony for a third or subsequent offense. The bills also give the court authority to order the forfeiture of the vehicle involved in the offense as part of the sentencing. SB 97 was introduced by state Sen. Brandon Elefante (D, Aiea-Pacific Palisades-Pearl City), who also chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee. Elefante said he “constantly receives calls on excessive speeding” and has urged law enforcement to take action by citing and arresting those who violate speed limits. He said that while law enforcement has been active in addressing the issue, speeding in his district persists, particularly from Friday to Sunday, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. The bill proposes that drivers exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more, or driving over 80 mph regardless of the limit, would face fines, license suspension, driver retraining and surcharges. For a first offense, penalties include a fine between $500 and $1,000, a 30-day license suspension and either community service or up to five days of imprisonment. Subsequent offenses within five years would result in higher fines, longer suspensions and more community service or imprisonment. Three-time offenders within five years could face a Class C felony, license revocation and vehicle forfeiture. Under current law, excessive speeding is classified as a misdemeanor if a driver exceeds the speed limit by 30 mph or more, often considered a petty misdemeanor. Most speeding violations, however, are treated as civil infractions and do not carry misdemeanor charges. “This is constant. This goes on almost every weekend,” Elefante said. “We have constituents who call 911, we have HPD that goes out and conducts their investigation and enforcement. It’s speeding, it’s noise but it’s also a danger to the community and those who need to use our roadways to get to their destination safely.” Elefante shared that over the last weekend in January, HPD informed his office of two arrests for racing on the freeways of Pearl City and Aiea. Furthermore, between Jan. 14 and 17, additional enforcement actions led to more arrests and citations related to racing and excessive speeding. “There were four arrests, two for excessive speaking and reckless driving without a license,” he said. “Four citations and two reckless driving without a license, excessive speeding.” HPD reported a slight increase in speeding violations over the past two years, with 25,700 offenses recorded in 2023 and 27,252 in 2024. As of Jan. 29, HPD has already documented 1,503 violations for the year. Standard speeding continues to be the most common offense, with 21,172 citations issued in 2023, rising slightly to 21,251 in 2024. Excessive speeding saw a significant increase, with more than 5,000 citations given out in 2024, while reckless-driving violations rose to 602. Racing offenses decreased to 247 in 2024 from 341 in 2023. The year-to-date statistics as of Jan. 29 showed that HPD issued over 180 citations for reckless driving and eight for racing, excessive-speeding citations are close to 200 and standard speeding violations already surpassed 1,000. The city Department of Transportation Services receives about 2,000 complaints annually from across Oahu, with roughly half related to speeding concerns, officials said. As a first step, the city asks HPD to increase speed enforcement in problem areas. If that does not resolve the issue, speed trailers — portable radar devices that display drivers’ speeds — are temporarily deployed as a short-term deterrent, though they can remain in place for only a few weeks. For persistent speeding problems, midterm solutions are implemented, including road striping to create additional shoulder or parking lanes, which visually narrow the roadway to encourage slower driving. Additional signage and solar-powered flashing pedestrian beacons near schools also may be installed to improve safety. Long-term measures require funding and construction, such as installing speed humps, median and curb modifications and roundabouts, which are larger infrastructure projects that often involve contractors and take more time to complete. State Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said the state has installed 258 speed humps, which he credits with reducing overall crashes by one-third and major crashes by two-thirds. Since 2019, Sniffen said, a location that previously saw 25 fatalities now has only one following the installation of a speed hump. Sniffen said about 100 people die on Hawaii’s freeways annually, with speeding as a leading factor and excessive speeding accounting for 30% of those fatalities. Both city and state officials are exploring ways to address the speeding problem in Hawaii. However, they urge residents and community members to take action by adhering to posted speed limit signs, as outlined in each county’s ordinance.

Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee highlights fireworks bills Maui Now March 4, 2025 Original Article The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs (PSM) chaired by Senator Brandon Elefante (Senate District 16 – ‘Aiea, ‘Aiea Heights, Hālawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades, and Pearl City) has been pushing forward key bills to tackle the ongoing issue of illegal fireworks in Hawai‘i. Through these legislative efforts, lawmakers aim to reduce the dangers posed by illegal fireworks and hold accountable those responsible for illegal activity. SB 222 SD1 – relating to fireworks provides funding for the current Illegal Fireworks Task Force and extends its operation period which was scheduled to end on June 30, 2025, for another five years through June 30, 2030. It passed through the Senate last week and is now with the House. SB 227 SD1 – relating to firewor k s establishes and provides funding for the Illegal Fireworks Enforcement Division within the Department of Law Enforcement, which would work in tandem with the existing Illegal Fireworks Task Force. It passed Third Reading on the Senate Floor today. SB 1324 SD2 – r e l a t i n g t o f i r e w o r k s , a bill that is part of the Governor’s package with strong support from the Department of the Attorney General, aims to strengthen fireworks safety laws. It includes tougher penalties for fireworks offenses, especially if someone is injured or killed as a result. The bill introduces new criminal offenses related to illegal fireworks use, including sending or receiving fireworks by air, distributing them to people without permits, and other safety violations. It also establishes a system to handle fireworks-related infractions and allocates funding for enforcement. This bill also passed Third Reading today. “These measures are vital steps in enhancing the safety and security of our communities,” said Elefante. “By strengthening enforcement and increasing penalties for illegal fireworks, we are taking proactive action to prevent harm and protect our residents. The extension of the Illegal Fireworks Task Force and the proposed Enforcement Division will ensure that our laws are being upheld, and that those who break them face the consequences they deserve. We must continue to prioritize the safety of our people, and these bills are a key part of that commitment.” “These bills will ensure that the State and County law enforcement agencies have the resources and laws necessary to tackle this very important issue,” said Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) Director Mike Lambert. “Fireworks enforcement is critical in ensuring community safety.”

Hawaiʻi senators point to funding and enforcement to combat illegal fireworks Hawaiʻi Public Radio Catherine Cruz January 3, 2025 Original Article Gov. Josh Green's office said it has helped to arrange a medevac flight to send six burn victims from the New Year’s fireworks blast in Āliamanu to the continental U.S. for further medical treatment. Hawaiʻi's only burn unit at Straub Benioff Medical Center cannot handle all of the casualties from the fatal fireworks accident. The Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner on Friday identified two women killed as Nelie Ibarra, 58, and Jennifer Van, 23. The identity of the third woman has not yet been confirmed. At a news conference on New Year's Day, Green emphasized the need to stop firework shows on neighborhood streets and proposed holding safe firework displays in the community. "Love your family. Avoid this. Let us put on firework displays in the community. Let us spend the monies to have something special for our citizens, which is what we've been proposing," he said at the news conference. "I know that this is a deep and important cultural tradition to many people to have some celebration with minor fireworks on New Year's and Fourth of July, but it's taking the lives of young people." Sen. Glenn Wakai, who represents Āliamanu and sits on the Public Safety Committee, said he thinks Hawaiʻi does not need more laws around illegal fireworks. Instead, he said the state needs better enforcement. "I'm not a big fan of increasing penalties or making more laws. I'm a big fan of funding DLE (Department of Law Enforcement) properly and giving them the tools and resources to go after all the bad actors in our community," Wakai said. Wakai said that he doesnʻt want to ban all fireworks. However, he added that non-permitted, non-professional fireworks need to end. "I just say we need to put the right personnel and fund DLE properly, let them do their job. They've shown us that they can do a good job by taking, what, 200,000 pounds of fireworks off the street. They just need more personnel to be able to investigate as well as prosecute those scoundrels," Wakai said. Law enforcement responding to the scene on Keaka Drive. (Jan. 1, 2025)Courtesy Angelina Bagaforo Sen. Karl Rhoads, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, said that it might be more helpful to raise the penalty to a Class B felony for the importation of illegal fireworks. "There's an awful lot of people who want to buy illegal fireworks and as a result that makes it very difficult. I think there are things that we could do. There's been a number of bills introduced in the last few years... this is a whole new level of tragedy in terms of the consequences. But it's something that many of our constituents have been complaining to us about for years," Rhoads said. However, he said there have been various roadblocks to dealing with illegal fireworks. "You need resources to fight. You need personnel and you need money. I have to think that this tragedy will encourage people at all levels of government to take the issue more seriously," Rhoads said. Rhoads shared that a 2019 law pinned liability on homeowners who allow someone to use their property for illegal fireworks. Act 248 also allows photographs and videos of fireworks to be submitted as evidence in court.

Governor signs measures aimed at protecting agriculture in Hawaii Hawaii Tribune Herald John Burnett June 27, 2025 Original Article A pilot program to fight agriculture-related crimes in Hawaii will go into effect July 1 on the Big Island and Oahu. The program within the state Department of Law Enforcement is intended to strengthen laws relating to agriculture theft — including cattle rustling — plus trespassing and hunting without permission on private ag land. The new law — one of five ag measures signed into law today by Gov. Josh Green — is being called “Duke’s law.” It was Senate Bill 1249, which was introduced by Sen. Tim Richards, a Waimea Democrat and vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Environment Committee. The law’s name is in honor of Cranston “Duke” Pia, a 39-year-old Makaha, Oahu, rancher who was — in Richards’ words — “executed in front of his mother” for protecting his cattle from hunting dogs on Feb. 17, 2024. Pia died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Chantston Pila Kekawa, then 17, of Maili, Oahu, was charged as an adult with second-degree murder, first-degree terroristic threatening, firearms offenses and first-degree theft. He pleaded not guilty and has a trial scheduled for Aug. 18 in Honolulu Circuit Court. “SB 1249 is about protecting our farmers and ranchers while honoring the memory of Duke Pia,” Richards said today. “Duke was a young rancher who was tragically shot and killed while confronting trespassers on his land. “This law strengthens enforcement, increases penalties, and gives us the tools to fight rural crime. It’s about justice, safety and preserving the future of agriculture in Hawaii.” The law funds, within DLE, a full-time assistant chief position; two full-time investigator positions, one on the Big Island, the other on Oahu; and six full-time agricultural patrol officers, three for the Big Island and three for Oahu. The new law doesn’t contain the stand-your-ground component that would allow a farmer or rancher, under certain circumstances, to exercise deadly force without retreating that was in another bill Richards introduced. That bill, HB 1248, the original Duke Pia bill, died without a hearing from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The new law appropriates $949,856 for each of the next two fiscal years to fund the pilot program. Other agriculture and food-related bills signed into law today by Green include: — HB 534, which prohibits the sale of any raw processed ahi tuna by retail establishments without a label that states the country where the ahi was landed. The bill claims that the majority of raw processed ahi sold in Hawaii retail establishments as poke is “foreign-sourced, previously frozen, gas treated and imported in pre-cut cubes” and generally cheaper for retailers. It also states that local consumers of poke are “subjected to misleading advertisements and in-store terminology such as ‘prepared fresh,’ ‘freshly made’ and ‘locally made,’ while the ahi used to prepare the poke is foreign-sourced, previously frozen, gas treated and imported in pre-cut cubes.” “Due to a loophole in federal labeling laws, retailers are not required to disclose the origin of these products, leading many consumers to falsely assume they are purchasing fresh, locally caught tuna,” wrote Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa, a Kona Democrat, the majority caucus leader and former Agriculture and Food Systems chairwoman, in a committee report. “By ensuring transparency in seafood labeling, this measure empowers consumers to make informed choices, supports Hawaii’s fishing industry, and protects the integrity of the state’s premium seafood market.” The law, which goes into effect July 1, 2026, was introduced by Rep. Tyson Miyake, a Maui Democrat and majority whip, with Kahaloa and fellow Big Island Reps. Nicole Lowen and David Tarnas signing on as co-sponsors. According to Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association, the local market for fresh ahi poke sold at retail largely has been replaced by foreign-caught, gas-treated tuna imported from Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Indonesia and other countries. He added the new law “should help Hawaii’s commercial tuna fishermen statewide.” “This bill will hopefully drive consumer demand for more fresh Hawaii-landed ahi poke at retail because they will see that the previously frozen, gas-treated tuna is not from Hawaii,” Kingma said. — HB 774, which which goes into effect July 1, relates to value-added products and establishes a food and product innovation network within the Agribusiness Development Corporation. It also appropriates $385,289 for each of the next two fiscal years for two full-time positions, plus operating expenses. The development of this network is intended to facilitate the responsible use of labels such as “Hawaii made,” “Made in Hawaii,” “Produced in Hawaii” and “Processed in Hawaii,” and aid businesses in promoting their products locally and internationally. Kahaloa, who introduced the legislation, called it “transformative for Hawaii’s farmers and food entrepreneurs — empowering them to innovate, grow and proudly share their unique products with the world.” Green said the network will provide “access to facilities, equipment, certification resources — things that make a difference.” “Honestly, I believe people are more than ready to buy agricultural products from the state of Hawaii,” Green said. — HB 496 prohibits certain words and images on packaging of mamaki tea suggesting the tea is a Hawaii agricultural product unless 100% of the tea or dried leaves were cultivated, harvested and dried in Hawaii. The law, which goes into effect July 1, also appropriates $65,000 for each of the next two fiscal years for a full-time measurement standards inspector. The bill was introduced by Kahaloa, with fellow Big Island Reps. Lowen, Jeanne Kapela and Sue Keohokapu-Lee Loy among the co-signers. The measure was formerly on Green’s intent to veto list. — and HB 427 renames the state Department of Agriculture the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and the Board of Agriculture the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity. The legislation, introduced by Kahaloa, also transfers the Hawaii Invasive Species Council from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the newly named department. In addition, the measure establishes a position of deputy chair for biosecurity to oversee all biosecurity initiatives within the department. The department, with the governor’s approval, may declare a biosecurity emergency in response to an outbreak of a pest or resistant organism that poses an economic or environmental threat. According to the governor’s office, the state budget allocates the highest level of funding ever for biosecurity — $26.6 million appropriated over the next two fiscal years to support positions and related expenses. “With the increasing frequency of natural disasters and growing biosecurity threats, safeguarding our resources and environment is a top priority for my administration,” said Green. “Prevention and forethought will fortify our state, and by signing HB 427, we are keeping top of mind the ways in which we can stay in the driver’s seat — actively leading the effort to protect our agriculture and our islands.”

Rally at beach takes aim at development on Maui for wealthy Maui News Eli Pace September 4, 2025 Original Article As protesters demanding better wages took to the streets in cities across the U.S. over the holiday weekend, a small group of Maui residents and activists went to the beach. It wasn’t a day off for Maui Indivisible, which organized Saturday’s rally featuring a handful of keynote speakers and state officials, nor were they there working on a tan. Rather, the group was at Maluaka Beach in Makena hoping to call attention to what they described as the systematic removal of working-class people and Native Hawaiians from the Makena community and beyond. Specifically, the rally took aim at Mākena Mauka, a large proposed luxury development on land owned by the Mākena Golf & Beach Club. “We wanted to have (the rally) the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and really bring folks together to show how the billionaires who live here, at least part time, are an apparatus that supports and funds and even the architects of this fascist regime are right here on Maui,” said Marnie Masuda-Cleveland, the lead for Maui Indivisible who helped organize the lineup of speakers. “Just little by little, working people here on Maui are being displaced, marginalized, beaten down by the needs and wants of the millionaire and billionaire class,” she added. “And it just has to stop.” Groups supporting federal workers and unions marched in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and other U.S. cities in support of workers’ rights and other causes. One of the nationwide rally organizers, May Day Strong, said on its website that “billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy and building private armies to attack our towns and cities.” Speakers at Saturday’s rally on Maui didn’t pull any punches on the billionaires either, as they likened what’s happening on Maui to the broader issues of fascism, big-money influence and the need for community solidarity. Moreover, they blasted the planned Mākena Mauka development featuring as many as 900 new luxury homes, a golf course and beach club. According to rally organizers, each home is anticipated to have its own swimming pool and come with a price tag of $10 million or more. After opening in the Hawaiian language, activist, educator and keynote speaker Kahele Dukelow called upon the crowd to fight back as she traced how development has pushed so many local families and Native Hawaiians out of the area while also harming the natural environment and only catering to the uber wealthy. “Whether your ancestors came during the plantation or whether you came and immigrated here later on, there is no better time than now for us to unite and resist and work against the racist and fascist government of America,” Dukelow said. “What is happening in America, what is happening in Palestine and what is happening here on Maui have the same source: unchecked power, insatiable greed, all the evils of settler colonialism.” Dukelow said a small group of people “fought like hell” in the 1980s to prevent much of the development that’s taken place today at Makena and across Maui. She said that group had the foresight to see what was happening decades ago and they successfully fought to preserve beach access that allowed for the rally. “They recognized that what was going to happen was the removal and erasure of Hawaiians and of working-class people from those communities,” she said. ‘They fought in the courts. They fought in our community meetings. They fought down here on the beaches, fighting to maintain access to these shorelines for our people.” Near the end of Saturday’s rally, two large signs were posted on the beach criticizing “Tech Billionaires” and advocating for “People Over Profit.” “What they feared was going to happen has happened, and you would think that it could not get any worse,” Dukelow added. “But like Marnie mentioned, it can get a lot worse. Developers like Wailea 670 and Discovery Land Company that surround us right now, they have plans. They have plans that don’t include us, don’t include people like us, except for exploiting our labor possibly.” Dukelow said she has been organizing her entire life, and it has been hard going up against such deep pockets, but she’s not ready to give up either. “They are not building a community for us,” she said. “Our labor should go into building communities for us. … If they can do this in Makena with no water and no community will for any of it, they can do whatever they want anywhere, and that’s what we have to stop.” Other speakers included state Rep. Terez Amato and state Sen. Angus McKelvey, who took shots at the Trump administration as well as luxury development as they promised to fight for working-class people. Additionally, Laila Popata, one of the founders of Maui For Palestine, called for action against the ongoing genocide in Gaza in a passionate plea for more people to get involved. “This is not about Hamas or about self-defense. This is ethnic cleansing,” she said. “Currently, an entire civilian population — 2.2 million people — are being starved to death and there are aid trucks sitting at the border crossing with much needed food and humanitarian supplies.” The rally was promoted by Maui Indivisible, the same group that’s been holding regular pro-democracy and anti-Trump rallies on Maui. Numbers at Saturday’s event were significantly lower than recent protests on the island, such as a rally in front of the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in June that drew thousands, but those in attendance were no less adamant that action needs to be taken. On Labor Day, demonstrations in Chicago and New York were organized by One Fair Wage to draw attention to the struggles laborers face in the U.S. Chants of “Trump must go now!” echoed outside the president’s former home in New York, while protesters gathered outside a different Trump Tower in Chicago. Large crowds also gathered in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. In New York, people gathered outside Trump Tower, and demonstrators waved signs and banners calling for an end to what they said is a fascist regime. In Washington, a large crowd gathered with signs saying “Stop the ICE invasion” and an umbrella painted with “Free D.C. No masked thugs.” Hundreds more gathered at protests along the West Coast to fight for the rights of immigrants and workers. Multiple groups joined together at the protests in Chicago to listen to speeches and lend their voices to the chants. Along the West Coast from San Diego up to Seattle, hundreds gathered at rallies to call for a stop to the “billionaire takeover.”