State Legislature

A state proposal could automatically register eligible residents to vote in elections — unless they explicitly “opt out” of that opportunity.

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature was working to reschedule hearings after offices reopened Tuesday following the Monday storm closures.

Honolulu Civil Beat's Christina Jedra reports on how Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke says she may be the lawmaker mentioned in the $35,000 payment allegation; Ed Noh, executive director of the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission, talks about the benefits and challenges of charter schools

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke has become the center of a story involving allegations that an “influential lawmaker” accepted $35,000 in a paper bag during a January 2022 meeting. “I'm not saying I am the 'influential lawmaker' in question,” Luke told HPR on Tuesday.

House Speaker Nadine Nakamura spoke to The Conversation's Catherine Cruz about a resolution to expedite the investigation into an alleged $35,000 payment involving a Hawaiʻi lawmaker.

The House Economic Development and Technology Committee advanced six measures on Friday — all of them providing more guardrails for immigration enforcement.

House Bill 2446 authorizes the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to create a community program. That program aims to educate marginalized communities about stolen wages. It would also enhance outreach and referrals.

The state Department of Transportation said it supports “transit affordability” but preferred more targeted proposals, such as providing free public transportation to children.

Several bills introduced this legislative session target the industry, ranging from increasing penalties for traffickers and sex crimes, to developing mandatory training programs for workers in the transient accommodation sector.

The smallest county in the United States may not exist much longer. As HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, Kalawao County is preparing for a big transition.