Legislature mulls UH funding restrictions, lighter punishment for drug offenses, public school leadership, hurricane relief fund; Honolulu Salary Commission proposes raises, vacation rentals again on Hawaii County agenda, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Funding restrictions would be ‘catastrophic’ for UH. Each of the University of Hawaii’s 10 campuses would have to rely on funding they generate from their individual tuition and student fees — and any excess revenue would have to be turned over to the state general fund under a bill that UH President Wendy Hensel said would be “catastrophic” for the system and especially for smaller campuses. But the Tax Foundation of Hawaii argued that UH has “hoarded” nearly $429 million in student tuition and fees as of June. Star-Advertiser.

Early Education Bill Gutted, Replaced With School Leadership Restrictions. Language from one of the Senate education chair’s failed bills suddenly reappeared in an unrelated piece of legislation. Critics say that could be unconstitutional.  Civil Beat.

Bill could ensure insurance coverage for children's vaccines. At the end of last year, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began slashing the number of vaccines recommended for children. Because of this, the state Legislature is considering a measure that would preserve insurance coverage for preventative service recommendations before the changes were made. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaiʻi Weighs Shorter Probation, Lighter Punishment For Drugs. A committee of stakeholders from across the criminal justice system is working to bring the state more in line with national trends on drug possession and probation. Civil Beat.

Use of Hurricane Relief Fund grows significantly. State lawmakers on Monday received an update on Hawaii’s efforts to stabilize its strained property insurance market. The briefing also covered implementation of Act 296, which aims to stabilize the property insurance market and ensure coverage remains available when private insurers pull back. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian Air ‘seeing the light at the end of the tunnel’ as new app launches, full integration with Alaska set for April 22. Many travelers said the merger between Hawaiian and Alaska Air has been plagued with problems – multiple confirmation numbers, login problems, and not being able to change seats or flights. KHON2.

Oahu

Salary Commission advances 4.7% pay boost for city officials, Council. During its meeting Monday, the Salary Commission, which establishes compensation schedules for municipal positions, proposed raising the mayor’s annual salary to $236,705, up from its current $226,080 a year. Other top city posts would see similar pay bumps. Star-Advertiser.

JERA wants to bypass the competitive bidding process. What is that exactly? The Japanese energy company JERA wants to build a natural gas plant on Oʻahu that could supply more than a third of the island's electricity demand. Hawaii Public Radio.

In June, flood zones will change, shifting hundreds of Oahu homes out of those higher risk zones. But 10 times the number of homeowners will then find themselves in a flood zone. KITV4. Hawaii News Now. 

Oahu’s housing market saw surge and slump in March. The number of single- family home purchases completed in March jumped 26.2%, to 260 from 206 in the same month last year, according to a Honolulu Board of Realtors report released Monday. Star-Advertiser.

Disaster Debris: Coming Soon To A Park Near You? Some park users are getting in the faces of city crews and leaving ugly voicemails, demanding the debris be taken elsewhere. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Vacation Rental Owners Could Face New Hawaiʻi County Rules. Stronger enforcement and better registration requirements are on the horizon on the Big Island. Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi County launches an accessible, online coastal zone management atlas. Developed by the Planning Department and Tetra Tech Inc., the County of Hawaiʻi has launched the Coastal Zone Management Atlas to better inform the public on management plans that preserve, protect, develop, and restore the resources of the nation’s coastal zones. Big Island Now.

Health officials investigate high rates of strep infections in West Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Health is working with the Hawaii District Health Office and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to follow up on physician findings of above-average cases of invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) — caused by a bacteria commonly found on the skin or in the nose that doesn’t normally lead to infection. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now. 

Maui

From Democrat to GOP: Lahaina Rep. Elle Cochran explains why she made the switch. As her disillusionment with the Democratic party grew, her Republican colleagues were quick to welcome her into the fold, Cochran recalled. Five candidates have already pulled papers to run against her. The filing deadline is June 2. Hawaii Public Radio.

Maui Council cheers gold medal wrestlers, then wrestles with an affordable housing project refund. The Maui County Council celebrated local high school wrestling champions Thursday before grappling with a contentious request for an affordable housing project refund. Maui Now.

Kauai

Police identify 3rd fatality in Kauai helicopter crash. Kauai police have identified the third person killed in the helicopter crash off Kalalau Beach on the Na Pali Coast on March 26. Police identified the third fatality as Oksana Pihol, 40, a Ukrainian national. 65-year-old Margaret Rimmler and 59-year-old Patrick Haskell, both from Massachusetts, were also killed in the crash. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now. 

Community Wildfire Protection Plan workshops rescheduled. Community Wildfire Protection Plan workshops were rescheduled after being postponed because of inclement weather. Kauai Now.