#troy hashimoto

A bill aimed at boosting local homeownership and affordable rentals through state-funded county acquisitions of voluntary deed restrictions has stalled in the Senate Housing Committee and will not advance this legislative session, which ends Friday. However, during its regular meeting Friday, the Maui County Council will consider its own legislation to use voluntary deed restrictions […]

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 […]

More than 270 supporters and staff of Maui Economic Opportunity, including state House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and Mayor Richard Bissen, helped the nonprofit celebrate 60 years of Helping People, Changing Lives, and retired Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Grant Chun at a fundraising Gala on March 22 at the King Kamehameha Golf […]

Senate Bill 332 Senate Draft 1 would prohibit sellers of foreclosed homes from bundling properties at a public sale. Instead, each foreclosed home would be sold separately. Previous foreclosure crises have resulted in the replacement of owner-occupied homes with investor-owned rentals, prolonged vacancies and unmaintained residential properties.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee unanimously recommended passage Tuesday of a bill to set user fees only for nonresidents visiting state parks and trails.

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.

A bill to help with rebuilding historic Lahaina town advanced Monday afternoon out of the Senate Water and Land Committee, chaired by Sen. Lorraine Inouye of Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island.

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 Metropolitan Planning Organization has submitted its fiscal 2024-2025 annual report to the state Legislature. The report covers the period from Dec. 1, 2023, to Nov. 30, 2024.

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.

Fires — whether they be wildfires or aerial fireworks — are top of mind for many lawmakers as they prepare for this year’s lawmaking session, beginning Wednesday at the state Capitol in Honolulu.

As Hawaiʻi lawmakers get ready for the opening of this year’s legislative session on Jan. 15, members of the House and Senate are holding informational meetings and the Senate Democratic majority has announced its legislative priorities.

Maui County Council members celebrated their inauguration for the 2025-2027 term with Hawaiian oli, singing and hula this morning at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater.

Senators from Maui have secured various leadership and committee assignments ahead of the 33rd Legislature. Sen. Lynn DeCoite is Assistant Majority Floor Leader and chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee; Sen. Troy Hashimoto is Assistant Majority Whip and vice chair of the Housing Committee; and Sen. Angus McKelvey is chair of the Government Operations Committee.

The two-lane Puʻunēnē Avenue bottleneck has long been a headache for Central Maui motorists. Traffic slows to a crawl during get-to-school and pau hana times, morning and afternoon, from Wākea Avenue to Kūihelani Highway.

Mayor Richard Bissen joined Maui’s state, county and community leaders at After the Fire USA’s 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit last week in Sonoma, Calif. Together, they shared updates on Maui’s wildfire recovery efforts and gathered valuable insights from other jurisdictions affected by similar disasters.