First Climate Fee Bills Pass Initial Hearing, With Concerns

Gov. Josh Green’s bills to fund Hawaiʻi’s climate change response by increasing the state’s hotel room tax and dedicating all of the interest from the $1.5 billion rainy day fund were unanimously passed out of a House committee Tuesday, but with concerns that they need “a lot of work.”

Star-Advertiser.

Marijuana Legalization Gets Initial Approval From 2 House Committees

Yesterday, a bill to legalize the drug for adults 21 and older cleared an initial committee hurdle in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives. It would also create a new state agency to regulate and tax cannabis and hemp products.

Civil Beat.

Bill Would Create Statewide Policy for Police Car Chases

A bill that would establish a statewide policy for police motor vehicle pursuits will be heard at 10 a.m. Thursday by the House Transportation Committee.

Tribune Herald.

Hawaiʻi Might Finally Put the Bite on Bedbugs in Housing — But Not Hotels

A bill before the legislature would put bedbugs on par with issues such as running water and electricity in the state’s landlord-tenant code. If passed, Hawaiʻi would join 24 other states and cities in enacting bedbug rules. These proposed rules don’t apply to hotels, a cornerstone of our economy that raked in $5.5 billion in revenue last year.

Civil Beat.

Governor Questions Trump Picks’ Experience, Tells Loyalists: ‘You Have Been Tricked’

Gov. Josh Green just returned from Washington, D.C., after advocating against President Donald Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was approved by the Senate Finance Committee and will move ahead to a full floor vote by the U.S. Senate.

Hawaii News Now.

O‘ahu Headlines

Number of HPD Officers Disciplined Declined in 2024

Twenty-two Honolulu police officers were disciplined in 2024 for 19 incidents, including fleeing the scene of a car crash after a chase, using excessive force against a detainee and falsifying police reports. That is down from 29 Honolulu Police Depart­ment officers disciplined in 2023 in connection with 28 incidents.

Star-Advertiser

OHA Kaka‘ako Makai Housing Bill Advances

Three Hawai‘i Senate committees have advanced a contentious bill to allow housing on land owned by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs in Kaka‘ako, makai of Ala Moana Boulevard.

Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Extends Deadline for Rail-Affected Businesses to Apply for Compensation

The city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services says it will extend the application deadline for the rail-related Transit Construction Mitigation Fund (TCMF) Grant via online portal submissions for an additional two weeks.

Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

Honolulu Festival to Now Charge Admission

The Honolulu Festival, a cultural exchange celebrating Japan and the Pacific Rim, will return in March. For the first time in its 29-year history, the event will charge admission for adults to enter the exhibition hall on the ground floor of the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where a majority of the events are taking place.

Star-Advertiser.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

DHHL Seeks $20 Million for Geothermal Exploration on Hawaiʻi Island

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has identified three sites for further exploration in South Point, Kawaihae, and Humuʻula.

Big Island Video News.

Council Blamed for Funding Loss: Money for Puna Alternate Route Study Lapsed Last Year

A study to investigate possible alternate traffic routes into Puna apparently died more than six months ago, despite assurances by Hawaiʻi County officials the project was still on track.

Tribune-Herald. Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

Senate Bill Passes to Waive SMA Permits for Rebuilding in Historic Lahaina Town

Senate Bill 1296 would not require special management area permits for structures in Lahaina town if they were destroyed in the deadly Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire disaster and if planned reconstruction stays within the footprint of the structure as it stood before it was consumed by flames.

Maui Now.

Bills to Curb Rent Increases Referred to Committees, but No Hearings Scheduled Yet

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.

Maui Now.

Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee Discusses Maui Fair

On the agenda for Tuesday’s Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee was Bill 7, a bill to amend the fiscal year 2025 by increasing carryover and savings from the General Fund by $1,500,000, as well as adding a new appropriation entitled “Festivals of Aloha, Inc. for the 2025 Maui County Fair” in the amount of $1,500,000.

Maui News.

Kaua‘i Headlines

Helicopters Provide Critical Support for Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project During Field Season

More than two dozen people flocked together Feb. 3 in a hangar on the north end of Līhuʻe Airport, joining Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project for an annual blessing to kick off another season of fieldwork on the Garden Isle.

Kaua‘i Now.

Līhuʻe Man Encounters Shark at Lydgate Beach

Chris “Shewy” Shewman of Līhuʻe recounted his frightening experience with a shark that occurred while he was surf-foiling at Lydgate Beach on Feb. 1.

Garden Island.