#kaniela ing

Governor David Ige signed a bill into law this morning that makes it mandatory for certain state councils, boards and commissions to attend a course on Native Hawaiian customs and rights to be administered by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The proposed measure came as a result of a an incident involving Christopher Deedy on Nov. 5, 2011, in which the US State Department special agent fatally shot Kollin Elderts in a struggle at the Kuhio Avenue McDonald’s on Oʻahu.

Rep. Souki maintains his role as House Speaker, while all Maui Representatives have roles as either chair or vice chair of various committees.

The new law is designed to reform elections in Hawaiʻi by allowing voter registration at early-voting locations in 2016, and at all Election Day polling sites in 2018.

Hawaiʻi voters will soon have the opportunity to register to vote at early voting sites and polling places, under a measure that gained final passage in the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

House Bill 2590 would allow voter registration at absentee polling places beginning in 2016; and late voter registration, including on election day, beginning in 2018.

An estimated $72.6 million of matching state and federal grants for a Kīhei-Upcountry Highway are included in the 2014 supplemental budget that was advanced by the state House of Representatives.

Representative Kaniela Ing of Maui, who introduced the bill noted that Hawaiʻi has the lowest voter turnout in the nation. He said this challenge could jeopardize the effectiveness of Hawaiʻi’s democratic process.

The effort was aimed at reducing the amount of second-hand smoke and toxic litter on Maui’s beaches, and included cleanup efforts at Hāna Bay, Baldwin Beach, Kahului Harbor, Waiehu, Olowalu, Hanakaʻōʻō Beach and Sugar Beach.

Ing says that at a recent beach cleanup on Maui, volunteers picked up more than 14,000 cigarette butts from the beach in just two hours.

The Lawmakers Listen event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. tonight, at the Kīhei Charter School stage room, located in the Līpoa Center in the old Hapa’s location near First Hawaiian Bank on East Līpoa Street.

Full funding for a new Kīhei High School, in the amount of $130 million, is included in a draft version of the legislative budget that is now headed to the full House and Senate for final votes.

House and Senate lawmakers reached agreements on several budget related items during their first conference committee meeting of the 2013 session on Thursday, officials said.

HB321, introduced by Maui freshman Senator Kaniela Ing is aimed at increasing the state’s low voter turnout.

“What an amazing show of Maui speaking out. I was totally blown away by the energy of the massive crowd. For me it was about caring about our community’s health, our right to know what’s in the food we eat…”

“Even if no money is added, $65,000,000 is much more than enough to get the tractors out and dust fences up by next Fall,” said Rep. Ing.

The state House passed a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit employers from requiring disclosure of passwords and user names for social media accounts of applicants and employees.

Freshman Rep. Kaniela Ing of South Maui called Maui beaches “world-renown,” saying cigarette butts are still one of the primary causes of litter on Maui.

The committee will hear bills that will either repeal the PLDC altogether, amend, or start from scratch to create a new agency.

Rep. Kaniela Ing of Maui explained, “When my father passed, he donated eye tissue that granted someone the gift of sight.”