Aloha and welcome to Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s coverage of the 2024 legislative session.
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Last Friday was the deadline for lawmakers to move bills out of their final committee hearings. But Gov. Josh Green tried to resurrect a key wildfire mitigation measure over the weekend.
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A federal trial seeking damages for some 7,500 families harmed by fuel contaminated drinking water is underway; Researchers have an update on what became of the sole survivor of an effort to establish a new colony of critically endangered kiwikiu in East Maui
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House Bill 2074 would appropriate more than $3.5 million to fund 13 full-time positions at the kaiapuni schools. The measure needs a full floor vote in both chambers before it heads to the governor’s office for final approval.
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Growers want a measure to protect their crops and farms, while commercial nut brands say what Hawaiʻi needs is more capacity to process mac nuts locally.
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Senate Bill 582 would provide another $297 million for displaced Maui residents living in hotels. The other measure, Senate Bill 3068, would set aside $186 million for the state’s response to the Maui wildfires and mitigation efforts.
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A measure to allocate nearly $20 million during the next fiscal year to the state Department of Agriculture for biosecurity measures is being described by some as a "landmark" bill. Nearly $3.2 million would fund 44 new department positions to support biosecurity.
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Lawmakers in conference committee, one of the final legislative processes, have passed Senate Bill 2085 to establish a dedicated fire marshal who will direct statewide efforts to prevent and respond to fires.
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The state will have to pay $449 million to compensate government employees for coming to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association accepted the state’s settlement offer for pandemic hazard pay.
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Gov. Josh Green on Thursday urged state lawmakers to take action on wildfire recovery measures in the final days of the legislative session, saying that the legislature's "inaction" will place the state in danger of seeing increased energy costs.
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A controversial measure to keep Hawaiian Electric in good financial standing after the Maui wildfires has died in the state Senate. The bill would have allowed HECO to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to fund wildfire mitigation efforts.