Politics

State lawmakers return to the Capitol today for what is expected to be the final three weeks of this year’s legislative session. Their main focus will be allocation $618 million in federal pandemic assistance.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor this year. There’s a crowded field, with 15 candidates officially in the race.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor in 2020. HPR is sitting down with mayoral hopefuls to discuss their top concerns and why they want the job.

State lawmakers will return to Honolulu to address a budget shortfall of roughly $1 billion. Legislators and staff will receive symptom checks, but no lab test for COVID-19.

Data from the Hawaii Department of Health show that most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the islands are local residents. But some legislators are calling for increased quarantine restrictions on visitors.

Civic participation is a challenge during the time of coronavirus. Some agencies are finding ways to still include the public, despite Gov. David Ige's emergency order suspending the requirement among other state laws.

Help is on the way says Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz. The words came as the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a $2 trillion aid package designed to save the American economy from collapse.

Tax revenue coming into Hawaii state coffers is now expected to be $48 million to $80 million less than previous estimates for the rest of 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus.

Voters on Oahu will elect a new mayor in 2020. HPR will be sitting down with mayoral hopefuls to discuss their top concerns and why they want the job.

Both chambers of the state Legislature have passed some form of a prohibition on the governor and county mayors earning income from employment other than their elected office.

The idea of a carbon tax has broad support from economists and a version was already approved by the state Senate. If agreed to by the House and Gov. David Ige, it would become the first measure of its kind in the U.S.

The Honolulu transit fare review body wants to raise the price of a bus ride by 25 cents to $3, but provide free transfers between the rail and bus.

More than two dozen bills at the Hawaii Legislature aim to increase the use of electric vehicles, but auto dealers and green energy proponents are supporting different approaches.

A panel of national security experts told U.S. senators that climate change is already threatening national security and we ignore it at our own peril.

The state’s Democratic Party is rolling out a new system for collecting members’ votes. The Republican Party cancelled its primary and awarded its delegates to President Donald Trump.

A new federal law chips away at a 70-year old judicial ruling that prevents members of the U.S. military from seeking financial compensation for injuries received on the job.

A proposal before the Honolulu City Council aims to reduce the long-term carbon footprint of Oahu’s buildings, but it has run into opposition from the island’s gas utility and construction industry.

Citing the recent killing of two Honolulu police officers, a group of lawmakers wants to further restrict access to firearms and expand the power to require mental health treatment.

Hawaii legislators on the House Agriculture Committee will consider several bills this week that would allow the commercial production of hemp and legalize the sale of hemp-derived products.

A close look at the more than 2,000 bills under consideration at the Hawaii State Capitol reveals that some of those proposals don’t contain any language.

Hawaii’s chief executive says, under current industry estimates, there is not enough land to cover the state’s energy needs solely using photovoltaic solar. But he sees promise in other options for the state to reach 100 percent renewable energy.

Despite a recent high-profile shooting that left two police officers dead and a series of violent robberies, some targeting elderly victims, Hawaii Gov. David Ige says he still believes Hawaii is a safe place to live.

Although a large drop in Hawaii's price of goods and services isn’t likely even as the governor and lawmakers deem it a priority, a small decline may be enough to reverse the trend of population decline.

Following a meeting with President Donald Trump, Maui Mayor Mike Victorino came out in support Friday of Trump’s plan to loosen federal environmental rules on development.

After years of failing to address infrastructure problems at state airports, lawmakers will once again consider making a change this session.

Problems abound but no single issue appears to have yet united Hawaii lawmakers as the opening of the 2020 legislative session approaches on Wednesday.

The 2020 state legislative session hasn’t even begun, but already a dispute is brewing over funding for the University of Hawaii.

In a recent national poll, the YWCA asked female voters what issues are on their minds ahead of the 2020 election.

The number of vacation rentals on Oahu declined more than 5 percent from the same time last year. Honolulu’s recent restrictions on short-term renting appear to be the cause.