State Legislature

The head of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply discusses the status of Oʻahu's water resources; A coalition is working to protect parts of Maunawili Valley from future development

The 2026 legislative session is next month, and advocates are pushing for Hawai‘i's lawmakers to pass bills that focus on LGBTQ issues. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports on their top priorities.

Hawaiʻi's Child & Family Service has received over $1 million from two sources of funding recently. This comes after the organization lost that same amount in federal funding earlier this year.

The preferred location for the hub is a privately owned plot of land directly north of the Puna Kai shopping center, off of Pāhoa Village Road and Kahakai Boulevard.

Hawaiʻi Foodbank is set to receive $5.5 million from the state Legislature. The funding comes from Act 310 – the Legislature's grant program that allocates $50 million in relief to nonprofits impacted by federal funding cuts.

Monica Toguchi Ryan, the third-generation owner of Highway Inn, spoke to HPR's Bill Dorman about the challenges of running a small business in Hawaiʻi and filing a lawsuit against the state over a tax issue.

Some members of Hawaiʻi’s Elections Commission are trying to ban mail-in voting, claiming that there were miscounted ballots in last year’s elections. But several organizations and state lawmakers say mail-in voting is here to stay.

In a public meeting with state legislators on Wednesday, University of Hawaiʻi officials said the school will ask for $5 million from the state to pay potential students to play at the university.

The state Campaign Spending Commission is working on a public funding bill this year to incentivize more candidates to request funding.

Former federal public defender Ali Silvert spoke to The Conversation’s Catherine Cruz about starting a petition to pressure lawmakers to help clear the air about allegations in an FBI bribery probe.