Civil Beat Categories

Legislature 2016

Hawaii’s Top 5 Statehouse Issues? PF Bentley/Civil Beat

Hawaii’s Top 5 Statehouse Issues?

No surprise with homelessness,聽housing, transportation and the economy. But the future of Native Hawaiians, too?

Criminal Justice Reform Fails To Get Much Legislative Love Flickr: James Cridland

Criminal Justice Reform Fails To Get Much Legislative Love

Neighbor island facilities received some significant financial help, but the state’s main facilities on Oahu will remain overcrowded and crumbling.

Chun Oakland To Leave Senate Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Chun Oakland To Leave Senate

The Hawaii lawmaker will not run for re-election this year after serving聽in the state House聽and Senate聽for 26 years.

2016 Session: AC For Schools, Help For Housing And Homeless Cory Lum/Civil Beat

2016 Session: AC For Schools, Help For Housing And Homeless

The House and Senate also killed bills to let psychologists prescribe drugs and fund a new jail聽on Oahu, but did hand聽water permits to A&B on Maui.

School AC Bill Now Law Ige Administration

School AC Bill Now Law

It calls for $100 million to pay for聽equipment and installation costs for air conditioning, heat-abatement measures and energy-efficiency measures.

Joe Souki, A&B And Coffee Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Joe Souki, A&B And Coffee

The House speaker insists that a bill聽allowing Alexander & Baldwin to continue to divert East Maui streams is not special legislation.

Governor Ige Grades Hawaii Lawmakers’ Work This Session Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Governor Ige Grades Hawaii Lawmakers’ Work This Session

Pleased by funding for his priorities, indifferent to failed police reform, Ige gives his former colleagues in the Legislature a “B.”

Sports Authority Bill Misses Cut Flickr

Sports Authority Bill Misses Cut

The legislation called for setting up an agency to attract sports and entertainment聽events to Hawaii.

Legislature Passes Airbnb Bill, Others As Session Wanes Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Legislature Passes Airbnb Bill, Others As Session Wanes

Hawaii lawmakers killed, among others, a measure to let psychologists on the neighbor islands prescribe drugs.

Hawaii Nurses May Soon Be Able To Certify Medical Marijuana Patients Courtesy of Brett Levin via Flickr

Hawaii Nurses May Soon Be Able To Certify Medical Marijuana Patients

The Hawaii Legislature updated its medical cannabis law, but advocates say there’s more work to be done.