Aloha and welcome to Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s coverage of the 2024 legislative session.
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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.
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Counties will likely have more control over short-term rentals after this legislative session. A measure that would give counties more regulatory power over short-term rentals passed out of conference. It’s one of the last major hurdles of the legislative process.
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Disagreement between the two chambers centers on concerns raised by the state attorney general’s office that the amendment to include the Water Commission is not relevant to the original bill.
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Kim Coco Iwamoto spoke to The Conversation about the revenue the state would lose from passing HB 2653. She also shared her perspective as an heir to Roberts Hawaii, her family's tour and transportation company.
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Brother-sister duo Steven Ai and Carol Ai May are the third generation of the family that runs City Mill's eight locations on Oʻahu. Steven Ai spoke to The Conversation about maintaining a longtime Hawaiʻi business.