State Legislature

More than two-thirds of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives have agreed to convene a special session to address a decision handed down earlier this month by the state Supreme Court.

Taxpayers will be receiving constitutionally mandated tax rebates over the next several weeks after a rebound in tourism fueled a jump in state tax revenue. Gov. David Ige says the money will arrive either by bank account direct deposit or by paper check in the mail.

Power was restored to the Hawaiʻi State Capitol on Wednesday after workers repaired equipment damaged in a weekend shorting of a high-voltage circuit breaker.

There are laws in place prohibiting unfair treatment within the state Legislature, but the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct is going further to define nepotism. Robert Harris of the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission has drafted a bill that would bar legislators from employing or doing business with family members.

For over 50 years, telescopes have dominated the summit of Maunakea, a place sacred to Native Hawaiians and one of the best places in the world to study the night sky. That’s now changing with a new state law saying Maunakea must be protected for future generations and that science must be balanced with culture and the environment.

At a Wednesday meeting, the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct heard from several state lawmakers and the public on the legislative process in its mission to make recommendations on topics from lobbying to campaign finance laws.

The campaign committee of Ty Cullen, a former state lawmaker who pleaded guilty after taking bribes, has donated to two candidates for the state House of Representatives. State Campaign Spending Commission data says Friends of Ty Cullen donated $2,000 to Jamaica Cullen. She's running in the Democratic primary for parts of Waipahu and Hoʻopili, the area Ty Cullen used to represent.

The state Legislature’s Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct was born out of a need for more transparency in government. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon reports on its latest discussion on open records laws.

A bill recently signed into law allocated $1 million to restore immigrant resource centers. Advocates say these centers provide critical services to help immigrants settle into a new country. HPR's Jayna Omaye has more.

The six seats up for election this year give Hawaiʻi voters considerable power in charting the future course of this agency with the mission of improving the conditions of Native Hawaiians. The future of OHA is built on the story, and the context, of its origins. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.