It may be bettter economic times for some,  as hawaii continues to crawl toward economic stability.  But the unchanged reality for about a hundred and thirty-two thousand in Hawaii, including forty-one thousand children, is poverty.  As the legislature winds down and some of the holes in the saftey net are mended, what human services will help the homeless and low-income populations to find solid footing?

This morning two state house committes heard SB755.  The bill passed in both houses.  SB755 was seen as as crucible for the tension between ecomic stuimulus and environmental protection.  The title of the bill was  left over from a previous bill last year and that's all is has in common.  Opponents say its a classic example of "gut and replace".   Proponents say what matters is getting hte state moving again.

It's crossover day at the Legislature! Yesterday the council on revenues gave some good news. A half a percent return then had been expected. giving some budgetary breathing room. Less good though is that we still don't have agreed upon districts and all the seats are up for grabs in the primary which is only five months away. Neal Milner joins Beth-Ann Kozlovich to continue the discussion on the remaining legislative session.

The mission of the Office of Information Practices is to promote transparency and openess in government.  Since it's creation in 1988, the Office of Information practices has existed to interpret the uniform information practices act and the sunhine law.   To give advice on the laws and to do that for State and county agencies as well citizens.  But how do you balance access to government scrutiny, encuorage democracy, and protect privacy?

In his State of the State address, the Governor made energy self sufficiency one of his 2012 legislative priorities. RIght along with that is a need to reorganize the Public Utilities Commission and two companion bills would do just that. On this episode of Town Square, more power for the P.U.C.

No one wants to lose a home. And some lenders say that having to foreclose on a property is costly for them too. The emotional trauma of trying to work out some equitable arrangement between borrower and lender is where many homeowners have found themselves ver the past few years and why ACT 48 came into being. Lawmakers now say that the act needs some tweaking. On this show... Homing in on the Mortage Foreclosure Task Force.