Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The informational briefing of the Committee on Health and Human Services focused on the April 2024 State Auditor report on Child Welfare Services foster care licensing, along with related concerns about DHS oversight and recruitment of foster families and social workers. The chair opened by noting the briefing’s purpose was to review the audit, Malama Ohana working group recommendations, the 2016 East Hawaii pilot findings, and DHS improvements. The chair also corrected the agenda to remove parents and children from the briefing and identified the officials present, including State Auditor Les Condo and DHS leadership. Auditor Condo explained that the audit was prompted by Senate Concurrent Resolution 102 and focused on licensing and contract oversight rather than casework, due to federal oversight concerns. He said the audit found foster home licensing often did not comply with statutory requirements, creating risk that children were placed in homes that were not fully safe, healthy, and nurturing. He also found DHS reimbursed contractor personnel and administrative costs without adequately assessing contractor performance. Condo described the licensing rules, the distinction between general licensed and child-specific homes, and the use of provisional certificates of approval, which he said were intended as short-term bridges but were often extended well beyond the 60-day limit in the rules. He reported that in the sample reviewed, none of the homes were licensed within 60 days, only three were licensed within 90 days, and many remained provisional for more than a year. DHS leadership responded that the department took the audit seriously, had met internally on the findings, and was working on a long-term corrective action plan. They said they were incorporating audit recommendations, Attorney General input, and Malama Moana working group recommendations into a new licensing contract and had added a data system to better track timeliness. DHS also said it was shifting practice back to the 60-day deadline in the rules rather than the prior 90-day common practice, and that if the timeline is not met, the appropriateness of the placement must be reconsidered. The briefing ended with the committee indicating it would continue with DHS responses and questions.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate held a joint informational briefing on wildfire safety from Hawaiian Electric Company, with members of the Commerce and Consumer Protection, Public Safety and Military Affairs, and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism committees in attendance. Hawaiian Electric executives said the company’s top priority over the past 15 months has been reducing the risk of another catastrophic wildfire, and they described a broad wildfire safety strategy they plan to file with the Public Utilities Commission in January. They said the company expects to spend about $120 million this year on wildfire mitigation and resiliency measures, with roughly $300 million more planned over the next three years, offset in part by $95 million in federal grants. Company representatives said they believe operational changes, new procedures, system hardening, and vegetation work have reduced wildfire ignition risk from utility infrastructure by 60% from pre-Maui wildfire levels. They outlined four main categories of work: foundational measures such as equipment replacement and vegetation management; operational changes including grid settings and public safety power shutoffs; situational awareness tools such as AI cameras, weather stations, and fault current indicators; and grid hardening such as stronger poles, stronger conductors, undergrounding, and covered conductor. They also described risk maps for Oahu, Maui County, and Hawaii Island that were developed with a national expert using local data, satellite data, fuel inventories, terrain, wind patterns, and nearby communities and critical facilities to prioritize work. Testimony also focused on inspections and vegetation management. Hawaiian Electric said it has used drones, sound-based pole testing, and expanded field inspections in higher-risk areas, and that vegetation trimming is expensive and often limited to utility easements unless landowners cooperate. The company said it has spent more than $100 million on vegetation work over the last four years and is working with government agencies and private partners to remove or trim hazardous trees. It also highlighted replacement of traditional fuses with fire-safe or sparkless fuses to reduce the chance that failed equipment could create embers. The company further said it will not ask customers to pay for its nearly $2 billion share of the Maui global settlement if approved, stating that the company and its shareholders will cover that cost and have already taken steps to finance it. No votes or formal actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing focused on telecommunications service disruptions on Hawaiian homelands, especially the incident earlier in 2024 in which up to 1,500 customers were affected when Sandwich Isles Communications threatened to terminate service. Committee members said the goal was to move forward on solutions rather than revisit past disputes, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and the Public Utilities Commission were invited to explain the response, along with Spectrum and Hawaii Telcom. No public testimony was taken; the meeting was limited to agenda presenters and committee questions. DHHL officials described the crisis response and their longer-term broadband plan. They said they sent letters to households and businesses, created a public information website, urged customers to switch providers, distributed free Wi‑Fi hotspots, and worked with state and federal regulators, local homestead associations, Spectrum, and Hawaii Telcom. They also said they had prepared written responses to 25 committee questions and a PowerPoint outlining assessment and buildout plans, including use of Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program funding, hiring staff, and expanding service to about 8,500 homesteaders. Officials said most lessees had switched providers, but some remote areas still relied on temporary solutions. A key discussion centered on jurisdiction, service obligations, and infrastructure ownership. DHHL said it does not regulate telecom operations, but it does control land access and must consent to infrastructure on its property. Officials said the FCC had ruled that exclusivity for Sandwich Isles was impermissible, opening the door to other providers, and they said providers seeking to use Hawaiian homelands should serve all unserved areas where possible. Members asked about compensation for past poor service, and DHHL said any compensation issue would fall on the provider operating at the time, which they identified as Sandwich Isles for the period from 1995 through June. The committee also discussed whether DHHL-owned infrastructure would be preferable; DHHL said that model has value and is being explored. Members pressed for timelines and specifics on remaining gaps. DHHL said three areas—Puʻukapu, Pōhakuloa, and Kahiki Nui—still lacked fiber service, though temporary Wi‑Fi or wireless solutions were in place, and they hoped fiber could be installed by the end of the calendar year in some locations. Officials said the broader buildout under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program would take up to four years after the grant award, with additional coordination through the BEAD program. The discussion ended without any vote or formal action, but with a commitment to continue working on infrastructure, service reliability, and avoiding a repeat of the earlier outage.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the Maui wildfire investigation and the Fire Safety Research Institute’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports, with Attorney General Lopez explaining that the investigation covered the August 8-9, 2023 events and that a Phase 3 report will be a forward-looking set of best-practice recommendations, expected in 2025. Lopez said 850 gigabytes of data from the investigation were posted on the Attorney General’s website with personal identifying information and images of the deceased redacted, and that the formal investigation into the August 8-9 events had been closed. He emphasized the need for state, county, and community learning and collaboration to improve wildfire preparedness and resilience. Derek Alonis of FSRI described the conditions that contributed to the Lahaina fire, including invasive grasses, aging and code-nonconforming structures, narrow roads, strong winds associated with Hurricane Dora, and West Maui topography that intensified wind effects and dried fuels. He explained how embers from wind-driven fire can spread into the built environment, and used before-and-after images of Lahaina to show roof damage, downed utility poles and lines, and more than 2,000 destroyed structures. He also described how the fire’s progression was reconstructed using timestamps, eyewitness reports, and images, and said the analysis identified how some structures survived while others did not. FSRI said Phase 2 used the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and produced 84 findings and 140 recommendations, later distilled into 10 priority areas for immediate action. The priorities included creating an action-planning and accountability structure, establishing a State Fire Marshal office, improving wildfire data collection and standards, strengthening mutual aid and firefighter training, and addressing vegetation management, zoning, and code issues. The presentation noted that Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization has worked with 25 nationally recognized Firewise communities and more than 20 additional communities, and stressed that the state should learn from other states rather than “reinvent the wheel.”

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism held an informational briefing on October 23, 2024, to receive an overview of the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s current operations, board responsibilities, contractor relationships, and fiscal years 2025–2027 budget planning. The chair emphasized that the briefing was informational only, with no public testimony, and that it was intended to help the committee better understand HTA and its contractors ahead of the 2025 legislative session. HTA Interim President and CEO Daniel Noi opened with a presentation on HTA’s mission and structure, describing the agency’s role in balancing tourism’s economic benefits with community, cultural, and environmental concerns. Noi outlined HTA’s priorities as stabilizing the visitor industry, supporting island-level destination management, and moving toward regenerative tourism that produces net positive benefits for communities. He said Maui visitation remained down about 25% following the wildfires and noted that international markets were still recovering from the pandemic. He also described HTA’s internal structure, including finance, destination stewardship, brand marketing, and planning/evaluation, and explained how those areas connect to contracts with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement through the Kilohana Collective, and other partners. He said HTA has about 30 authorized positions but is currently staffed at around 20, and that it relies on collaboration, legislative funding, and partnerships to carry out its work. During questions, members asked for contract breakdowns. HTA said its major CNH contract is about $27 million over two years, with smaller related contracts including $300,000 for Maui recovery visitor education, $25,000 for long-term resident housing marketing support, and a $100,000 small-business venue project on Maui that was later stopped because no location was found. HTA also described HVCB’s multiple contracts for U.S. market marketing and branding, Meet Hawaiʻi support, island visitor bureau marketing, and global services. Noi also cited visitor industry economic impacts, saying it generates about $21 billion in total visitor spending and $2.4 billion in tax revenue, and that a 2023 advertising study found $319 million in incremental tax revenue from U.S. and Japan market advertising. No votes or formal actions were taken, as the meeting was informational.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ implementation of Act 279, which provided $600 million for land acquisition and housing development for Native Hawaiians. DHHL Director Ki Watson and staff described a broad portfolio of projects across the islands, emphasizing that the work is ongoing and that priorities may shift as more information, federal funding, county support, and additional lands become available. Members asked for clearer prioritization, updates on water availability, and continued reporting on barriers to development. On Hawaiʻi Island, DHHL discussed several projects including Palamanui, Lūpūr, Honokaʻa, and Panaʻewa. Lūpūr was highlighted as a major existing development with 635 total homestead leases across multiple villages, using LIHTC and option-to-purchase structures, with some infrastructure already complete and vertical construction moving forward. Members clarified how Act 279 and LAPS-fix funds would be used, and DHHL said it was pursuing additional water sources through well acquisitions, but not using Act 279 money for those wells. Honokaʻa was described as a preliminary project targeting about 296 single-family homes, while Panaʻewa was presented as a phased project with about $147 million in future costs and a focus on sewer upgrades. On Maui, DHHL said development costs are especially high, citing one project with average infrastructure costs of about $376,000 per lot. The department described efforts to respond by identifying new sites and working with private developers, including a P. Hona Homestead project with 52 lots already awarded, a Wuku single-family project with 176 units and 31 vacant lots, and a Waimā phase in predevelopment. Officials also said they are using affordable housing credits, standardized designs, modular or ship construction concepts, and beneficiary workshops to help applicants understand financing options and avoid being left behind on the waitlist. The briefing ended without any formal vote or legislative action.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Education Committee met on August 15 to discuss the statewide school bus transportation crisis, after last-minute cancellations affected 78 routes last year and 147 routes this year, disrupting service for thousands of students across multiple islands. Superintendent Keith Hayashi and Deputy Superintendent Randy Moore said the department was working daily with contractors to stabilize service and explained that the problem was driven by a long-term shortage of bus drivers, especially for special education routes that are federally required under students’ IEPs. Moore reviewed transportation data showing that most students do not ride the bus, while regular education riders and special education riders rely on a limited fleet. He said special education ridership has grown sharply, increasing the need for drivers and reducing the pool available for regular routes. He also outlined the budget, noting that transportation costs are high and that the department was facing a projected deficit. Committee members asked about the number of suspended routes, mileage reimbursement for parents, and why some schools, including James Campbell High School, had service restored while others had not. Moore said route restoration decisions were based on special education obligations, availability of public transit, school level, and community demographics. The department described several short-term measures made possible by the governor’s emergency proclamation, including direct contracting with Roberts, subcontracting with tour bus companies such as Polynesian Adventure, using some school-owned small buses, and seeking help from the National Guard and county transit agencies. Officials said the proclamation also temporarily relaxed some driver-qualification rules and allowed more flexible staffing. For longer-term fixes, Moore said the department would conduct an after-action review and explore staggered school start times, shared staffing arrangements with schools, county transit partnerships, carpools, and a pre-screened private ride option. No votes were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met in decision-making only to consider four gubernatorial nominees to the First Circuit Court: Rebecca Copelan, Brian Costa, Diana Deros, and Steven Nichols, each for a 10-year term. The chair recommended consent on all four nominations. During discussion on Rebecca Copelan, Senator Wall spoke at length against the nomination, citing concerns about local identity, Native Hawaiian issues, and what he described as white privilege and generational trauma; he said he would vote no. For the other nominees, there was brief supportive comment, including thanks to Judge Nichols for advocacy work for Native Hawaiians and children in Mililani. The committee voted to adopt the chair’s recommendation of consent for each nominee. The recorded vote on GM1 showed one no vote from Senator Oa and the remaining present members voting yes, with some members excused. GM2, GM3, and GM4 were each adopted without recorded opposition. The meeting concluded with congratulations to the four appointees and notice that the full Senate vote would take place the next day at 11:00 a.m., followed by adjournment.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held the hearing portion of a special session on four First Circuit Circuit Court judicial nominations, with no votes taken that day. The chair explained that two committee members were absent, testimony would be limited to two minutes for most speakers, and the committee would reconvene for decision-making on Wednesday, June 26, at 11:45 a.m. in Room 016. The first two nominations heard in detail were Rebecca Copeland and Brian Costa; the remaining nominations were introduced but not fully taken up in the portion provided. For Judge Rebecca Copeland, the Hawaii State Bar Association testified that she was qualified, citing her private and government legal work, her prior service as a First Circuit per diem judge, and her current service as a Family Court judge, including leadership roles in the special division, truancy court, and early education intervention programs. Numerous written and oral supporters, including retired judges and attorneys, also testified in favor. In her own remarks, Copeland described her Family Court experience, her prior appellate and district court work, and her background in civil litigation. Committee members asked about her readiness for Circuit Court work, especially civil jury trials and mental health-related issues; she said she would need to build more experience in jury trials but had support from sitting judges, and emphasized using court-ordered services and referrals to address underlying mental health and substance abuse issues. For Judge Brian Costa, the HSBA also found him qualified, noting his service as a Family Court judge since 2015 and full-time judge since 2017, his role as presiding judge over juvenile drug court and lead judge of the juvenile division, and his broader litigation and trial background. His wife testified in support, describing his long hours preparing cases and his commitment to fairness. Costa told the committee about his upbringing in Buffalo, his education and career path, and his work in criminal law, prosecution, private practice, and judicial service. Members questioned him about his home in Hawaiʻi, his reasons for staying, and how he would handle criminal sentencing; he said Hawaiʻi is where he belongs, and that sentencing should consider prior history, public safety, deterrence, punishment, and opportunities for rehabilitation. The hearing ended with the committee moving on to the next nomination after hearing extensive support for both candidates.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Water and Land Committee and Hawaiian Affairs Committee held an informational briefing on honoring Hawaiian cultural protocols, with opening pule and remarks emphasizing pono, the role of kūpuna, and the importance of following traditional Hawaiian protocol in public decision-making. The chair welcomed members and guests, including Senator Shimabukuro, Senator Elefante, Senator Fevella, Senator Jared K. K. Kuli, Land Board member Amy Barnes, and representatives of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee and Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Aha Moku representatives explained the organization’s origins, mission, and legal framework. They described Aha Moku as a traditional land-ocean sustainability system integrated into state policy through Act 288 (2012), after earlier legislative efforts and a veto were followed by revisions and eventual enactment. The presentation stressed that Aha Moku is meant to bring the voices of the people forward on sustainability, natural and cultural resource management, and education, and that kūpuna and local practitioners should guide place-based decisions. The speakers also outlined the structure’s island- and moku-based representation and said the committee’s role is advisory to DLNR and the Land Board. A major portion of the briefing focused on the history and cultural significance of the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla, including a detailed timeline from the 1795 battle site through royal burials, caretakers, legal protections, and later state actions. The presenter argued that the historical record shows the site was always under aliʻi authority and that current questions about its management raise legal and cultural issues. The presentation also noted that in 2024 DLNR announced a new curator for the Royal Mausoleum State Monument, but that the process reportedly excluded Hawaiian Civic Clubs, royal societies, and Aha Moku participation, contrary to cultural protocol and Act 288. Office of Hawaiian Affairs then testified that DLNR and its chair disregarded state law and Hawaiian cultural practice by using a closed hiring process for the curator/kahu position. OHA said affected stakeholders, including aliʻi trusts, royal societies, and civic clubs, should have been included because of their lineal and cultural connections to the burials at Mauna ʻAla. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, with testimony and discussion only.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Keywords: 910, house, all

Keywords: 912, senate, all