|Most Hawaii businesses remain closed and the stay-home orders have not yet been lifted, but plans are already in the works to begin marketing the state to tourists as “the safest place on earth.”Alan Oshima, who wasappointed by Gov. David Ige in April as the “navigator”of Hawaii’s stabilization and economic recovery effort, said Thursday he hears from tourism and other industry leaders that “we have one chance to reopen and to re-brand Hawaii as the safest place on earth, and we should do it right.”Lt. Gov. Josh Green used essentially the same phrase during a news conference Wednesday,...…|Most Hawaii businesses remain closed and the stay-home orders have not yet been lifted, but plans are already in the works to begin marketing the state to tourists as “the safest place on earth.”Alan Oshima, who wasappointed by Gov. David Ige in April as the “navigator”of Hawaii’s stabilization and economic recovery effort, said Thursday he hears from tourism and other industry leaders that “we have one chance to reopen and to re-brand Hawaii as the safest place on earth, and we should do it right.”Lt. Gov. Josh Green used essentially the same phrase during a news conference Wednesday,...WW…

State tax collections collapsed even more quickly than expected last month as tourism and much of the rest of the economy shut down in response to , according to tax data released Friday.Meanwhile, House and Senate lawmakers said they have cobbled together a $1 billion package of state budget fixes they say will make it unnecessary for Gov. David Ige to impose public worker pay cuts and furloughs next year.Lawmakers also plan to authorize Ige to borrow billions of dollars more from the federal government to help get the state through the pandemic but predict that if the latest budget...…State tax collections collapsed even more quickly than expected last month as tourism and much of the rest of the economy shut down in response to , according to tax data released Friday.Meanwhile, House and Senate lawmakers said they have cobbled together a $1 billion package of state budget fixes they say will make it unnecessary for Gov. David Ige to impose public worker pay cuts and furloughs next year.Lawmakers also plan to authorize Ige to borrow billions of dollars more from the federal government to help get the state through the pandemic but predict that if the latest budget...WW…

|State officials cannot say how soon Hawaii’s unemployed workers will receive an extra $600 a week in federally promised benefits because they still haven’t been able to automate the state system to add the extra money to unemployment checks for workers who lost their jobs in the , lawmakers were told Thursday.Scott Murakami, director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, said that as of Wednesday night his department had received 207,126 unemployment filings — not counting duplicate filings — which is a record.Murakami told members of the Senate Special Committee on...…|State officials cannot say how soon Hawaii’s unemployed workers will receive an extra $600 a week in federally promised benefits because they still haven’t been able to automate the state system to add the extra money to unemployment checks for workers who lost their jobs in the , lawmakers were told Thursday.Scott Murakami, director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, said that as of Wednesday night his department had received 207,126 unemployment filings — not counting duplicate filings — which is a record.Murakami told members of the Senate Special Committee on...WW…

The state hopes to start distributing by April 22 the first of many thousands of checks that will include the extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits that has been promised by the federal government, according to Scott Murakami, state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director.Murakami told the Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 last week that the state could not immediately begin paying out the weekly $600 “plus-up” payments because there is no automated system for adding the extra money to the base payments of state unemployment benefits.Murakami said Tuesday his...…The state hopes to start distributing by April 22 the first of many thousands of checks that will include the extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits that has been promised by the federal government, according to Scott Murakami, state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director.Murakami told the Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 last week that the state could not immediately begin paying out the weekly $600 “plus-up” payments because there is no automated system for adding the extra money to the base payments of state unemployment benefits.Murakami said Tuesday his...WW…

A half-dozen Hawaii labor leaders are urging House Speaker Scott Saiki to move quickly this week to schedule floor votes on stalled bills to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage and exempt unemployment payments from state income taxes.dealing with the state income tax on unemployment benefits and to increase the state minimum wage to $12 an hour are both stuck in the House Labor and Tourism Committee, where Chairman Richard Onishi never scheduled them for a hearing.The decision to delay a minimum wage increase for low-income workers has been particularly galling to some activists because allIn a...…A half-dozen Hawaii labor leaders are urging House Speaker Scott Saiki to move quickly this week to schedule floor votes on stalled bills to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage and exempt unemployment payments from state income taxes.dealing with the state income tax on unemployment benefits and to increase the state minimum wage to $12 an hour are both stuck in the House Labor and Tourism Committee, where Chairman Richard Onishi never scheduled them for a hearing.The decision to delay a minimum wage increase for low-income workers has been particularly galling to some activists because allIn a...WW…

Lawmakers are positioned to receive two pay raises during the year ahead, a move critics described as “unconscionable” at a time of high unemployment and economic desperation in much of the community.The raises were recommended by the state Commission on Salaries in 2019, and will take effect on July 1 of this year and Jan. 1, 2022 unless the Legislature takes action to defer the raises. Gov. David Ige, members of his cabinet and state judges are also scheduled to receive pay increases in the year ahead.Pay hikes for elected officials are almost always controversial, but the state House...…Lawmakers are positioned to receive two pay raises during the year ahead, a move critics described as “unconscionable” at a time of high unemployment and economic desperation in much of the community.The raises were recommended by the state Commission on Salaries in 2019, and will take effect on July 1 of this year and Jan. 1, 2022 unless the Legislature takes action to defer the raises. Gov. David Ige, members of his cabinet and state judges are also scheduled to receive pay increases in the year ahead.Pay hikes for elected officials are almost always controversial, but the state House...WW…

For months Gov. David Ige talked about Hawaii’s $1.4 billion-per-year state budget shortfall, a catastrophic number that acquired a kind of doomsday feel to it. Yet when Ige presented his new financial plan to reporters earlier this month, he never once mentioned that number.When a reporter asked earlier this month about the size of the shortfall, Ige replied he didn’t have that amount handy, a tacit acknowledgement the infamous estimate of $1.4 billion is outdated.And that is another sign that, from the perspective of state government, things are looking up.of the administration’s plan, ,...…For months Gov. David Ige talked about Hawaii’s $1.4 billion-per-year state budget shortfall, a catastrophic number that acquired a kind of doomsday feel to it. Yet when Ige presented his new financial plan to reporters earlier this month, he never once mentioned that number.When a reporter asked earlier this month about the size of the shortfall, Ige replied he didn’t have that amount handy, a tacit acknowledgement the infamous estimate of $1.4 billion is outdated.And that is another sign that, from the perspective of state government, things are looking up.of the administration’s plan, ,...WW…

For the second year in a row Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Karl Rhoads is advancing a proposal to ban rifle magazines that hold more than 10 bullets, but the measure appears likely to fail in the state House.Rhoads announced Wednesday he will amend to remove language that would have banned assault rifles and “assault shotguns” after his committee The vast majority of the testimony opposed the bill.Instead, Rhoads said he will limit the scope of the bill to banning “large capacity” rifle magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. That proposal is an effort to limit the number of deaths...…For the second year in a row Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Karl Rhoads is advancing a proposal to ban rifle magazines that hold more than 10 bullets, but the measure appears likely to fail in the state House.Rhoads announced Wednesday he will amend to remove language that would have banned assault rifles and “assault shotguns” after his committee The vast majority of the testimony opposed the bill.Instead, Rhoads said he will limit the scope of the bill to banning “large capacity” rifle magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. That proposal is an effort to limit the number of deaths...WW…

Some House lawmakers have hatched a complex plan to export more of Hawaii’s weighty tax burden to non-residents, but it would require an amendment to the Hawaii state Constitution and a huge leap of faith on the part of the voters.and , which lawmakers say go “hand in hand,” together propose a tax system overhaul. The first bill asks the voters to amend the constitution to allow the state to impose property taxes.If that idea wins approval — which is a long shot — HB 1209 would then “suspend” the Hawaii state personal and corporate income taxes.Underlying the proposal is a sense among some...…Some House lawmakers have hatched a complex plan to export more of Hawaii’s weighty tax burden to non-residents, but it would require an amendment to the Hawaii state Constitution and a huge leap of faith on the part of the voters.and , which lawmakers say go “hand in hand,” together propose a tax system overhaul. The first bill asks the voters to amend the constitution to allow the state to impose property taxes.If that idea wins approval — which is a long shot — HB 1209 would then “suspend” the Hawaii state personal and corporate income taxes.Underlying the proposal is a sense among some...WW…

Gov. David Ige is planning to borrow money from the federal government to raise cash to navigate the budget crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but said layoffs, pay cuts or furloughs of Hawaii public employees are inevitable if Congress and President Donald Trump don’t come through with more help.In an interview with the Star-Advertiser last week, the governor outlined features of the new financial plan his administration has developed to ride out the economic malaise caused by , which triggered an abrupt economic shutdown and a steep dive in tax collections. But Ige warned there is...…Gov. David Ige is planning to borrow money from the federal government to raise cash to navigate the budget crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but said layoffs, pay cuts or furloughs of Hawaii public employees are inevitable if Congress and President Donald Trump don’t come through with more help.In an interview with the Star-Advertiser last week, the governor outlined features of the new financial plan his administration has developed to ride out the economic malaise caused by , which triggered an abrupt economic shutdown and a steep dive in tax collections. But Ige warned there is...WW…