A bill to end payday loans in Hawaii and replace them with lower interest installment loans is on its way to the full House and Senate for a vote after legislative negotiators reached an agreement on the measure Tuesday afternoon.The final version of  to take out an installment loan as high as $1,500 with a 36% annual interest cap, Rep. Aaron Johanson said, adding that lenders can also charge a monthly fee up to $35 depending on the size of the loan.“This is really a huge sea change in the world of economic justice. We know that there are so many people who are struggling in Hawaii...…A bill to end payday loans in Hawaii and replace them with lower interest installment loans is on its way to the full House and Senate for a vote after legislative negotiators reached an agreement on the measure Tuesday afternoon.The final version of  to take out an installment loan as high as $1,500 with a 36% annual interest cap, Rep. Aaron Johanson said, adding that lenders can also charge a monthly fee up to $35 depending on the size of the loan.“This is really a huge sea change in the world of economic justice. We know that there are so many people who are struggling in Hawaii...WW…

Hawaii lawmakers are considering spending millions to support landlord-tenant mediation services in an effort to prevent a flood of post-moratorium eviction proceedings from overwhelming the courts and driving up homelessness in the state.and its companion would require landlords to wait 15 days instead of five between issuing an eviction notice and filing a summary possession case in court.The measures also would require landlords to attend mediation if requested by a tenant, and establish a tiered system to determine when landlords could evict tenants based on how much back rent is...…Hawaii lawmakers are considering spending millions to support landlord-tenant mediation services in an effort to prevent a flood of post-moratorium eviction proceedings from overwhelming the courts and driving up homelessness in the state.and its companion would require landlords to wait 15 days instead of five between issuing an eviction notice and filing a summary possession case in court.The measures also would require landlords to attend mediation if requested by a tenant, and establish a tiered system to determine when landlords could evict tenants based on how much back rent is...WW…

In 2019, the median annual salary for a worker at First Hawaiian Bank was $54,729.The bank’s chief executive officer, Robert Harrison, earned $6,011,668.Harrison was paid 110 times more than the bank’s median employee, according to the company’s disclosures to the last year.A new proposal — —  in the Hawaii Legislature would change that by levying a general excise tax surcharge to any island business where the chief executive officer earns more than 100 times the company’s median employee.The idea comes as Hawaii struggles to fill a revenue hole created by the decimation of multiple...…In 2019, the median annual salary for a worker at First Hawaiian Bank was $54,729.The bank’s chief executive officer, Robert Harrison, earned $6,011,668.Harrison was paid 110 times more than the bank’s median employee, according to the company’s disclosures to the last year.A new proposal — —  in the Hawaii Legislature would change that by levying a general excise tax surcharge to any island business where the chief executive officer earns more than 100 times the company’s median employee.The idea comes as Hawaii struggles to fill a revenue hole created by the decimation of multiple...WW…

Democratic control of the White House and Congress may breathe new life into efforts to establish a Native Hawaiian government that is recognized by the United States.Honolulu City Councilwoman Esther Kia’aina, who spent decades working in Washington, D.C., including at the Department of the Interior, describes President Joe Biden’s administration as empathetic and understanding regarding Indigenous self-determination.If Native Hawaiians want to pursue what’s commonly referred to as “federal recognition,” she said, now would be a good time.“I don’t know of a better opportunity where you...…Democratic control of the White House and Congress may breathe new life into efforts to establish a Native Hawaiian government that is recognized by the United States.Honolulu City Councilwoman Esther Kia’aina, who spent decades working in Washington, D.C., including at the Department of the Interior, describes President Joe Biden’s administration as empathetic and understanding regarding Indigenous self-determination.If Native Hawaiians want to pursue what’s commonly referred to as “federal recognition,” she said, now would be a good time.“I don’t know of a better opportunity where you...WW…

Innocenta Sound-Kikku has spent this year in the thick of Hawaii’s COVID-19 pandemic. As a staffer at a Kalihi community health center who is also Chuukese, she has watched her community get hit harder by the coronavirus than any other in Hawaii and scrambled to provide food, medicine and water to families stuck in quarantine.But on Sunday, she got good news. Congress is restoring Medicaid access for her community — citizens from the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia living in the U.S. — nearly 25 years after taking it away.The change is part of a $900 billion...…Innocenta Sound-Kikku has spent this year in the thick of Hawaii’s COVID-19 pandemic. As a staffer at a Kalihi community health center who is also Chuukese, she has watched her community get hit harder by the coronavirus than any other in Hawaii and scrambled to provide food, medicine and water to families stuck in quarantine.But on Sunday, she got good news. Congress is restoring Medicaid access for her community — citizens from the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia living in the U.S. — nearly 25 years after taking it away.The change is part of a $900 billion...WW…

The Honolulu Police Department says it may need to track how its officers use force to identify bias and is considering making some policy changes to that end, according to the agency’s newly released annual use-of-force report.The analysis said there were more than 2,300 instances in which officers used force in 2019 — about four instances per 1,000 calls for service. That’s up from 2,070 instances in 2018.Nearly three-quarters involved physical contact or physical confrontations; 21% involved a gun, including the act of unholstering it for building searches; 3% involved the use of a...…The Honolulu Police Department says it may need to track how its officers use force to identify bias and is considering making some policy changes to that end, according to the agency’s newly released annual use-of-force report.The analysis said there were more than 2,300 instances in which officers used force in 2019 — about four instances per 1,000 calls for service. That’s up from 2,070 instances in 2018.Nearly three-quarters involved physical contact or physical confrontations; 21% involved a gun, including the act of unholstering it for building searches; 3% involved the use of a...WW…

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has announced that more than $1.8 million in federal funds will help support Hawaii renters through the Housing Choice Voucher program, more commonly known as Section 8.More than $1 million will go to the state Public Housing Authority, which administers vouchers on Oahu.  The County of Maui, which manages its own separate Section 8 program, will receive a $789,655 grant.U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a press release that the money will help current voucher holders who are affected by the pandemic.Section 8 voucher holders usually pay 30% of their income toward...…U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has announced that more than $1.8 million in federal funds will help support Hawaii renters through the Housing Choice Voucher program, more commonly known as Section 8.More than $1 million will go to the state Public Housing Authority, which administers vouchers on Oahu.  The County of Maui, which manages its own separate Section 8 program, will receive a $789,655 grant.U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a press release that the money will help current voucher holders who are affected by the pandemic.Section 8 voucher holders usually pay 30% of their income toward...WW…

In her two decades as a landlord, Lanette Hayashi has been lucky. She has two rental houses, and has had the same renters for the last 19 years — that is, until her Pearl City renters left in December. That’s when she decided to renovate the place, gutting the bathroom and putting in new flooring and lanai.But by the time Hayashi finished the repairs, the coronavirus pandemic hit and Gov. David Ige had imposed an eviction moratorium. Now Hayashi is hesitant to get a new renter. What if they trash the newly renovated place and she’s not able to kick them out? She no longer has a mortgage on...…In her two decades as a landlord, Lanette Hayashi has been lucky. She has two rental houses, and has had the same renters for the last 19 years — that is, until her Pearl City renters left in December. That’s when she decided to renovate the place, gutting the bathroom and putting in new flooring and lanai.But by the time Hayashi finished the repairs, the coronavirus pandemic hit and Gov. David Ige had imposed an eviction moratorium. Now Hayashi is hesitant to get a new renter. What if they trash the newly renovated place and she’s not able to kick them out? She no longer has a mortgage on...WW…

The in Kalihi is normally packed with kids. The warehouse along Kamehameha IV Road is walking distance from multiple public housing complexes, and the organization takes seriously its mission to help mentor kids and get them off the streets.But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the warehouse transformed.“We turned our shop into a food hub,” explains Josh Kim, who works at the youth outreach bike shop that’s part of the Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Health Center.By late May, more than 21% of Kalihi residents and others were still struggling to do so. KVIBE partnered with the YMCA of...…The in Kalihi is normally packed with kids. The warehouse along Kamehameha IV Road is walking distance from multiple public housing complexes, and the organization takes seriously its mission to help mentor kids and get them off the streets.But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the warehouse transformed.“We turned our shop into a food hub,” explains Josh Kim, who works at the youth outreach bike shop that’s part of the Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Health Center.By late May, more than 21% of Kalihi residents and others were still struggling to do so. KVIBE partnered with the YMCA of...WW…

The organizers of Wednesday’s testing event at Kuhio Park Terrace were prepared for a crowd. More than a dozen National Guard members sat under six registration tents filling one section of the parking lot in front of the public housing project’s community center.Orange cones strategically placed in front of the tents formed space for a line, complete with social distancing. Blue arrows taped on the ground indicated where patients should walk to get free coronavirus testing.But a crowd never appeared. For hours, volunteer interpreters sat idle or urged tenants on a loudspeaker to come get...…The organizers of Wednesday’s testing event at Kuhio Park Terrace were prepared for a crowd. More than a dozen National Guard members sat under six registration tents filling one section of the parking lot in front of the public housing project’s community center.Orange cones strategically placed in front of the tents formed space for a line, complete with social distancing. Blue arrows taped on the ground indicated where patients should walk to get free coronavirus testing.But a crowd never appeared. For hours, volunteer interpreters sat idle or urged tenants on a loudspeaker to come get...WW…