#Kurt Fevella

Officials with the US Army Garrison Hawai‘i are waiting for the formal rejection of the Final Environmental Impact Statement by the state Land Board before deciding what to do next to try to extend its lease on the Big Island.

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 […]

Two Senate committees voted Thursday to recommend passage of a bill to legalize adult personal use of cannabis Hawaiʻi and establish taxes on its retail sale and medical use.

A bill to exempt state-financed housing developments from county council approval has passed second reading on the Hawaiʻi Senate floor and advanced to the Ways and Means Committee.

The Hawaiʻi Senate Ways and Means Committee passed Senate Bill 222, which would fund an illegal fireworks task force. Although the amount of funding is not specified, the measure is now headed for third reading on the Senate floor before crossing over to the House of Representatives.

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature’s Kūpuna Caucus convened by state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki and Rep. Cory M. Chun shared their 2025 legislative package, a set of bills focused on enhancing the quality of life for seniors across the state.  

A measure aimed at addressing a shortage of nurses on Maui by establishing a four-year nursing Bachelor of Science degree program at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College has passed second reading on the Senate floor. Now, it’s headed to the influential Ways and Means Committee for decision-making on funding.

Bills have been referred to committees in both chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to limit the amount landlords can raise rents for tenants at a time of desperate housing shortages and renters having few, if any, options if they can’t afford demands for higher monthly rent payments.

Dissatisfied by state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ management of small boating facilities, West and South Maui Sen. Angus McKelvey has drafted a bill to transfer maintenance and operations of Māla wharf in Lahaina and the Kīhei boat ramp to Maui County. Under the bill, the County could set permit fees to generate revenue for the facilities’ upkeep.

The Hawaiʻi Senate Committee on Health and Human Services deferred action today on a bill to improve health insurance coverage for women with an above-average risk for breast cancer. The committee rescheduled its hearing to 1 p.m. Jan. 29.

With a bill introduction deadline looming on Thursday, state lawmakers already have nearly 150 measures to consider as ways to address Hawaii’s dire housing shortage, a problem even more acute on Maui after the August 2023 wildfires destroyed thousands of homes.

Maui’s affordable housing crisis is spurring some creative ways to increase the island’s housing inventory, including a bill to encourage mixed-use developments introduced by Sen. Angus McKelvey (West and South Maui, Mā‘alaea and Waikapū) and a half-dozen other senators.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources would be required to acquire all West Maui water systems through eminent domain and then hold them in trust for the management by Maui County, according to a bill introduced this legislative session.

In an effort to address the growing problem of nursing shortages in Hawaiʻi, state senators led by Central Maui Sen. Troy Hashimoto are proposing that the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College establish a four-year nursing bachelors of science degree, a significant step up from the current two-year associate program.

A senate committee on Thursday voted to reject the nomination of Chris Sadayasu as director of the State Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  Despite the committee’s recommendation against consent, Sadayasu’s nomination will move forward for a vote and final consideration by the full 25-member Senate.

Sen. Fevella said he voted against the bail reform bill at Final Reading because he shares concerns of constituents regarding the potential for the automatic release of a defendant for ‘nonviolent,’ but dangerous class C felony offenses.

Senator Kurt Fevella sent a letter to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Wednesday about the City’s decision to open a second isolation and quarantine facility at the West Loch Modular housing facility in ‘Ewa.  

In a recent letter to the Department of Public Safety, Senate Minority Leader Kurt Fevella expressed his opposition to the department’s $615,000 vaccine incentive program for qualified inmates.  

Hawaiʻi Senate Minority Leader Kurt Fevella (District 19) sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Transit Administration and the Attorney General of the State of Hawaiʻi asking the three agencies to investigate the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART).