#Josh Green

Gov. Josh Green signed into law today bills to expand resources for young homeless people and those facing homelessness and to stabilize the state’s property insurance market. Both measures respond to what the Governor’s Office calls “a nuanced housing crisis.” The governor’s “administration remains committed to actively reducing barriers to safe, stable, reliable and insurable […]

Gov. Josh Green has signed several bills to strengthen the state’s resilience against biosecurity threats and protect against invasive species, pests and diseases, and that support Hawai‘i agriculture. The governor signed into law Act 236 on June 27, which among other provisions, renames the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity […]

Gov. Josh Green vetoed eight bills Thursday, including one involving tax credits for economic development and diversification. House Speaker Nadine Nakamura said the House would not call a special session to override the vetoed measures because it’s “not necessary at this time.” As of Thursday, Green had taken action on 304 of the 320 bills […]

Gov. Josh Green signed three bills into law Thursday that expand funding for Hawai‘i’s court system and bolster rehabilitation and recidivism prevention efforts, particularly for women and nonviolent offenders.

Maui County Council members are set to begin deliberations next week on Bill 9, a proposed measure to phase out short-term vacation rentals that could significantly impact housing, tourism, jobs, tax revenue, and the island’s economy. The Housing and Land Use Committee, chaired by Council Member Tasha Kama, closed public testimony Wednesday after hearing from […]

Nearly a year after Gov. Josh Green signed into law a measure intended to help Hawaiʻi counties tame unruly flocks of feral chickens, the initiative remains unfunded and unimplemented, leaving counties without state assistance and the birds free to roam island streets and neighborhoods. Unfunded mandate Enacted on July 3, 2024, Act 185 (formerly Senate […]

Council members ended their work on the fiscal 2026 budget Tuesday, giving final approval to a $1.558 billion spending plan that sets the course for Maui County government beginning July 1.

West Maui state Rep. Elle Cochran missed 51 of 60 House floor sessions — an 85% absence rate — during the 2025 legislative session while collecting $22,725 in per diem payments intended to cover off-island living expenses, according to House records. Her near-total absence from legislative proceedings in Honolulu, coupled with her acceptance of these taxpayer-funded […]

State lawmakers passed legislation aimed at accelerating Maui’s wildfire recovery and approving a 60-day “shot clock” for counties to review building permits, a chronic cause of delaying construction projects in Hawaiʻi. Those were a couple of takeaways from a May 16 Grassroot Institute of Hawaii legislative wrap-up event titled “What went down at the Capitol […]

Without explanation, Upcountry Rep. Kyle Yamashita has been stripped of his powerful position as House Finance Committee chairman.

The forests stretching from Honokōwai all the way up to Honokōhau, and the watersheds they protect, have been managed for nearly two decades from the top of the mountains to the ocean. “You can’t just manage one part of it. You have to manage the whole, from the peak all the way to the ocean. They’re […]

State lawmakers have passed out of conference committee Senate Bill 119, which would appropriate funding to establish a bachelor of science in nursing degree program at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. According to a conference committee report, the measure would appropriate $250,000 in fiscal 2026 and $350,000 in fiscal 2027 for the program aimed […]

House and Senate conference committees are recommending final passage of House Bill 1001, which provides more than $800 million in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for deposit into the Maui wildfires settlement fund for a “timely and compassionate resolution” for fire survivors. The bill commits the state to spending $400 million in fiscal 2026 and […]

The grounds of Washington Place now have additional native vegetation, as part of a community Earth Day planting ceremony.

Leaders and the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaiʻi are reflecting on the passing of Pope Francis, who died at 7:35 a.m. April 21 in Rome, late Easter Sunday, Hawaiʻi time. Pope Francis led the Holy Roman Church since 2013. He was 88. “After many prayers for his recovery, Pope Francis has passed […]

Starting July 1, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen will earn $245,000 annually — more than Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green‘s salary through the end of their current terms in office in 2026. Then, after a series of phased-in raises, annual pay for the governor will surpass that of Maui’s mayor beginning July 1, 2028, when the […]

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., has ordered that the United States flag and the Hawaiʻi state flag be flown at half-staff on Friday, April 4, to sunset on Monday, April 7, in recognition of the unwavering service of former Rep. Gene Ward.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. announced the appointment of Karen T. Nakasone as the new Chief Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA). Nakasone will fill the vacancy left by the elevation of Judge Lisa M. Ginoza to Associate Justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., is reviewing applications for Chief Judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) and for the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, for the island of Oʻahu. Public comment on the nominations is welcomed. The ICA vacancy was left by the elevation of Judge Lisa M. Ginoza to Associate Justice of the Hawaiʻi […]

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., and the state Department of Taxation today introduced TaxCutHawaii.org, a new online resource designed to help working individuals and families learn about the state’s income tax cut and calculate their estimated tax savings through 2031.