Hawaii leads nation in preventing COVID deaths, Green signs transparency bills, committee approves Chang to lead DLNR, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Open government laws aim to restore public trust. Seven bills requiring greater transparency from lawmakers and state boards were signed into law Friday by Gov. Josh Green. Star-Advertiser. Maui News. Big Island Video News. Kauai Now.

Hawaii ranks first in preventing COVID deaths. Hawaii had the lowest death rate in the nation, at 147 per 100,000, when age and underlying illnesses were taken into account, four times less than states such as Arizona, which had the highest, at 581 per 100,000, according to a study recently published in The Lancet. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii's Longest-Serving State Lawmaker Talks About The True Power Of Legislators. Sen. Les Ihara believes rank-and-file lawmakers could be asserting themselves in committees and on the floor. Civil Beat.

Here's What Hawaii Can Learn From Other States On Publicly Funded Elections. The system needs to be legally sound, properly regulated and substantially funded so candidates can compete with private money. Civil Beat.

Dawn Chang endorsed to head Department of Land and Natural Resources.  The Committee on Water and Land voted 5-0 to recommend that the 25-member Senate confirm Dawn Chang as DLNR’s director and chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now

Senate earmarks housing projects and tax relief in two-year $38B budget. The state Senate Ways and Means Committee has built out portions of the state’s biennium budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Hawaii Public Radio.

Subsidy program would help mid-income Hawaii residents buy homes. Households earning 80% to 120% of a county’s median income could qualify for subsidies of about $100,000 toward the purchase of a new home, under a pilot program that would be established by a bill advancing at the Legislature. Star-Advertiser.

GET bill: One last hurdle. The House Committee on Finance is the last hurdle for two key bills that could determine the future of health care in Hawaii. Senate Bill 1035 would exempt medical providers from the state’s general excise tax, or GET, for treating patients with Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE. Senate Bill 397, would increase Medicaid reimbursement rates and match them to Medicare rates. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii may soon ban thousands of everyday items containing toxic chemicals. State lawmakers are considering a ban on intentionally added polyfluoroalkyl or “forever chemicals,” that make up an array of items from certain cosmetics to water-resistant clothing, food packaging and more. KHON2.

Hawaii’s fireworks measures fizzle out. Bills increasing fines, limiting consumer fireworks, providing technology to search shipping containers and allowing county police departments to track explosions all failed to cross over to their opposite chambers for further consideration. Star-Advertiser.

 ‘Nobody Gets To Run A State For 50 Years Anymore’: Hawaii Political Life After Dan Inouye. Ten years after the political giant's death, power is more fragmented — but politics has become more inclusive. Civil Beat.

Outlook for Hawaii tourism from Japan not so ‘golden’. This year’s Golden Week, which runs April 29-May 5, is expected to be the best one since the pandemic started in 2020. However, it isn’t shaping up to be that “golden,” and a more significant pickup of Japanese arrivals to Hawaii is not forecast to occur until summer or beyond. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii working on Regenerative Tourism. The Local2030 Islands Network kicked off its inaugural conference on Sunday at the Hawaii Convention Center. KITV4.

President Lassner fighting for $24M for University of Hawaii budget. University of Hawaii President David Lassner is fighting to maintain $24 million in state funding for UH that disappears July 1, while facing “antipathy” from three state senators, including the chairs of the Senate’s finance and higher education committees. The money, part of a restoration of cuts made during the COVID-19 years, will disappear unless it’s specifically added to the next fiscal year budget. Star-Advertiser.

University of Hawaii Board of Regents candidates announced. The Candidate Advisory Council has presented the list of candidates to Gov. Josh Green to fill one Honolulu County seat, one Maui County seat and one Hawaii County seat for five-year appointments.  Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Hospitals Are Struggling To Meet The Needs Of The Chronically Homeless. Emergency rooms are on the front line of caring for Hawaii's most medically vulnerable homeless people, yet they lack many of the resources needed to have a lasting impact. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Honolulu City Council questions Blangiardi's budget and tax credit proposal. The Honolulu City Council is plunging into what looks like a turbulent budget season amid a potentially acrimonious debate over sky-high assessments for property taxes. Civil Beat. Hawaii Public Radio.

Mayor Signs Bill That Bans Guns In ‘Sensitive Places,’ Including Schools And Hospitals. Under the new law, concealed-carry weapons won’t be allowed at a hefty list of “sensitive places.” Civil Beat.

$100M for first responder campus project flatlining. A controversial and costly state plan to build a vast campus for state, county and federal first responders in Mililani may have hit a funding snag for a second straight year. Star-Advertiser.

Shidler donates $5M more to University of Hawaii business school. Jay H. Shidler, the Honolulu businessman who has donated more than $230 million in cash, land leases and in-kind donations to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has given an additional $5 million to the business school. Star-Advertiser.

Ex-state official joins Honolulu housing, homeless office. Denise Iseri-Matsubara, a former state housing official, has been hired to lead the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness as its executive director. Star-Advertiser.

Navy seeks public ideas about repurposing Red Hill. The Navy has launched an online survey Opens in a new tab to solicit public ideas about repurposing the Red Hill underground fuel facility once its tanks are drained and it’s closed for fueling operations. Star-Advertiser.

Aloha Stadium plan shift may extend timeline for completion. State planners, under the new administration of Gov. Josh Green, had hoped to send out requests for proposals by the end of January for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. Star-Advertiser.

Waimanalo Health Center using grant to expand services. The Hawaii Dental Service Foundation has given the Waimanalo Health Center a $500,000 grant to expand its services with a new clinic in Kaneohe and to renovate its existing offices in Waimanalo. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Roth vetoes Planning Commision zoning bill. Bill 194, introduced last summer by North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, would replace the current practice of administrative time extensions approved by the Planning Department, and require the council in a public forum to make that decision. West Hawaii Today.

Kona Community Hospital at risk of closure due to outdated utilities. Hospital leaders have been attending 2023 State Legislature sessions to bring attention to their urgent needs and advocate for approximately $17 million over the next two years to address the cooling and ventilating system problems as well as install campus-wide lighting and security cameras. Big Island Now.

Puna roads restoration project delayed; EA assessment still not complete. Hawaii County is urging patience as a long-awaited eruption recovery project in lower Puna is delayed yet again. Tribune-Herald. KITV4.

Swath of Hawaii Island rife with old munitions prompts push for special construction protocols. Eight decades after the military battered parts of Hawaii Island with grenades, mortars, and bombs, lost munitions remain scattered across several communities ― all with the potential to explode. Hawaii News Now.

Spinner dolphin harassment investigated using recent rule.  In October 2021, a new federal regulation went into effect requiring people to keep 50 yards from Hawaiian spinner dolphins in an effort to better protect them from human disturbance. Star-Advertiser.

Maui

Departments scheduled to discuss budget plans throughout April. Decision-making meetings on the county budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2023 are planned for later in the month. Maui Now. Maui News.

Clinic to end OB care, shrinking Maui options. Saying that continuing obstetric care would be unsustainable moving forward, Maui Lani Physicians and Surgeons will no longer be taking any new pregnancy cases.  Maui News.

On Lanai, impacts of strike spill over to other services. Situation highlights struggle that comes with island’s limited health worker pool. Maui News.

Gas leak at Maui Prep prompts concerns from parents. The state Department of Health has launched an investigation after being notified by “multiple sources” of the situation, according to Maui District Health officer Dr. Lorrin Pang. Star-Advertiser.

Kauai

New Kaua‘i Representative Luke Evslin adapts to state politics. It’s been a whirlwind month for the newest member of the state House of Representatives, Luke Evslin, who has been learning the ropes of state politics since his mid-session appointment to the Legislature. Garden Island.

Visitor spending soars on Kaua‘i in February. Tourists proved willing to dig deep into their bank accounts while visiting Kaua‘i in February, as spending surged more than $50 million over the same period last year. Garden Island.