Hawaii Reporter

Medicaid Fraud Control

2026-06-15T04:37:44Z

Medicaid is a joint federal and state government health insurance program that helps provide medical coverage for people with low incomes and limited resources. Medicaid is basically a federal program that states can opt into by setting up a program that complies with federal rules. In return, the federal government provides significant funding for the […]

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Navigating the NILe

2026-06-05T20:07:18Z

Back in 2020, an Arizona State swimmer named Grant House sued the NCAA in a landmark class action case alleging that the NCAA’s rules forbidding compensation for college athletes were illegal under antitrust laws. The settlement of that lawsuit in 2025 cleared the way for college athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and […]

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Our Big Tax Bill Act

2026-06-01T19:48:01Z

Our legislative session has ended but the journey of legislative bills has not. Bills that have passed the Legislature now trek to the Capitol’s fifth floor, where Gov. Green and his staff considers them. The Governor has until June 30 to send the Legislature a list of those bills he might veto; anything not on […]

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Between Silk and Shadow

2026-05-31T08:37:58Z

Few Americans shed one life and slipped into another as completely—or as mysteriously—as James Harrison Wilson Thompson. Architect by training, spy by wartime necessity, silk impresario by instinct, and ultimately a man who stepped off a garden terrace into the Cameron Highlands and never came back, Thompson remains as much a legend for how he […]

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Changes to the Solar Credit

2026-05-25T06:48:43Z

The legislative bill that we have received the most questions about is Senate Bill 3125, the bill that modifies individual tax rates. But the part that has drawn the most questions hasn’t been the tax rates, whether they be pauses, stops, hikes, or whatever else. Rather, everyone is asking about what is going to happen […]

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A Memorial Day Tribute to Henri (aka Hank) Carbonell

2026-05-22T01:05:39Z

Editor’s Note: Immigrants, as we are reminded of late, have not always been perceived favorably. The debate over immigration is as old as the country itself. What is less often acknowledged is how many of the men and women at the center of that debate have answered America’s call to arms — and what that […]

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Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Part 2

2026-05-18T07:55:19Z

This week, we continue our coverage of significant Hawaii tax bills that have cleared our Hawaii legislative session and are on their way to Gov. Green’s desk. House Bill 2329, which conforms our state tax law to provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is our first topic this week. Our legislature normally adopts […]

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Iran Trumps US on Breast Cancer Front

2026-05-18T13:02:53Z

May 18, 2026 In the war on breast cancer, the US has poured billions of dollars into biomedical research with very little impact on the number of women developing breast cancer. Lifestyle is known to play a large part in the cause of breast cancer. But one lifestyle factor is ignored, which is the harmful […]

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Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2026-05-11T20:01:36Z

In our Hawaii legislative session, conference committee work is now done and bills are being readied for final floor votes and trips to the Governor’s office. Some bills look pretty much the same as they did when they began the conference negotiations. Others look radically different. Here are some of the more significant ones. Senate […]

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Register Now: Final Briefing for the 2026 Legislative Session

2026-05-18T07:55:32Z

The Tax Foundation’s final briefing for the 2026 Legislative Session will have both an in-person option and Zoom option. Tuesday, May 12, 20267:30am to 8:30amThe Pacific Club1451 Queen Emma StreetHonolulu, Hawaii 96813 Continental Breakfast will be served. Cost for TFH Members: $40Cost for non-TFH Members: $55 Zoom only option: $25 Click HERE to register and […]

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Deciphering the Budget

2026-05-04T08:05:23Z

One of the most important and consequential bills considered in any legislative session, including this one, is the budget bill. This year’s budget bill is House Bill 1800. Reading the bill, however, is not for the faint of heart. There is a kind of code used in the budget bills, making it (we suppose) efficient […]

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What’s Dead – For Now

2026-04-27T06:38:21Z

We are at the point in our legislative session where House-Senate conference committees are hashing out the final versions of bills that, if passed by both chambers, would be sent up to the Governor’s office for possible signing into law. The conference committee process is opaque. Public testimony is not allowed, and the conferees meet […]

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Staying Healthy with the new Vitamix Ascent X5

2026-05-13T08:03:01Z

I like to eat healthy. I admit, I’m hardcore. My friends consider me on the edge of the food spectrum but it works for me. My Vitamix Ascent X5 aides and abets this practice. Case in point. I don’t eat meat and rely on nuts and beans for much of my protein. Hummus, for example, […]

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Where’s Your Second Tax Return, Part 2

2026-04-20T08:28:57Z

A couple of weeks ago, we spotlighted a bill, House Bill 2429, that essentially would have forced taxpayers to file a second, publicly available, tax return upon pain of losing the benefit of most income tax credits and all general excise tax and use tax exemptions and deductions. This bill, if passed in that form, […]

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Conveyance Tax Fright

2026-04-13T08:21:03Z

Hawaii conveyance tax is imposed any time real estate in Hawaii is bought, sold, or leased for a term of five years or more. Goings-on at our legislature give us some conveyance tax fright. The tax dates back to 1967, in the first decade after statehood. (Act 10, Hawaii Session Laws 1966.) At the time […]

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Ending Hawaii’s housing crisis depends on homebuilding feasibility

2026-04-13T18:27:09Z

By Keli‘i Akina A new report from economists at the University of Hawai‘i makes a point that many of us have known all along: If we want to end the housing crisis, we need to build more homes. That’s because each new unit creates a chain of housing openings. A family that moves into a […]

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‘The government should not spend more than it will bring in’

2026-04-08T18:42:19Z

By Keli‘i Akina I have some good news to share with you: All of Hawaii’s county mayors have released their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, and most appear to be fiscally responsible. Could the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s spending principles finally be taking root with elected officials? Let’s start with Honolulu, which has […]

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Additional Car Tax Dead for Now

2026-04-01T23:23:52Z

In our current legislative session, there had been a couple of bills that would have created brand new taxes for us. One of them, House Bill 2604, would have slapped a new $1 per ticket tax on concert tickets on top of the general excise tax that ticket sellers already pay. The incremental revenue from […]

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Where’s Your Second Tax Return?

2026-04-01T23:24:22Z

Tax season is here. Most of us dread the prospect of filling out and filing our tax returns. We have to bare our souls to the government every year at about this time, telling them intimate details of what we made and what we lost — but at least that information is kept private so […]

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Legislature seems to choose spending over promised tax relief

2026-03-30T15:10:25Z

By Keli‘i Akina The state’s behemoth budget bill is making its way through the Legislature, and I can’t help but notice that taxpayers seem to be the only ones expected to make a sacrifice for the sake of government spending. Gov. Josh Green kicked off this year’s session claiming the state’s budget crunch is so […]

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Could President Trump’s latest waiver lead to Jones Act reform?

2026-03-24T15:45:21Z

By Keli‘i Akina Something has gone very wrong if it becomes necessary during a time of war to waive a law that was intended to strengthen national security. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act for the transport of certain energy products and fertilizer. As you might already know, the […]

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Halftime Report

2026-03-20T20:21:37Z

We’ve just passed the halfway point in our legislative session, where bills in the House need to go to the Senate for consideration, and vice versa. Any bill that hasn’t crossed over is dead for this session, although it is certainly possible for all or part of a dead bill to be resurrected by inserting […]

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Critical housing reform bills come to unfortunate abrupt end at Legislature

2026-03-17T20:43:01Z

By Keli‘i Akina Two important housing reform measures were unexpectedly killed this week as the state House and Senate prepared for “crossover” at the Legislature, during which the chambers exchange all the bills they have so far approved. This is regrettable not just because of what it means for Hawaii’s ongoing housing crisis, but also […]

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FILMFREUDE – 3rd EDITION! April 3-5 @ Doris Duke Theater

2026-03-17T22:00:00Z

FilmFreude is bringing a stunning slice of German cinema to the islands this April 3-5. This year, we’ve selected 4 powerful, moving, and entertaining films from Germany and Switzerland — edgy, daring, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking stories. We think these 2024/25 productions are the best of the year. Venue for the 3rd German Film Festival in Hawai’i, FilmFreude […]

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A Taxing Debate

2026-03-12T07:57:26Z

We have written earlier this year about the Administration’s bill to “pause” (actually, stop) the planned tax cuts that were to happen in years 2027 and beyond. The House and Senate money committees heard that bill independently. Both committees opted to make substantial modifications to it before moving it forward. What will likely follow will […]

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Residents voice their concerns on proposed pause of historic tax cuts

2026-03-10T15:55:22Z

By Keli‘i Akina I wish more of our lawmakers would realize that no government program could do as much to help struggling families in the islands as significant tax cuts. But maybe public reaction to the governor’s effort to “pause” the phase-in of the state’s historic 2024 income tax cuts will help them come to […]

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The Rental Car Loophole

2026-03-05T00:20:44Z

There are a number of bills in this year’s Legislature that seek to raise revenue by closing a “loophole” in our General Excise Tax Law. But is it really a loophole? When a wholesaler sells tangible personal property to a retailer and that retailer resells it, the wholesaler is taxed at 0.5% and the retailer […]

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Pilgrimage to Anzio

2026-05-14T07:42:22Z

This is the first in a series of articles by Rob Kay, the author of a soon to be released memoir, “Hans & Henri go to War—Exile, Friendship, and the War that Brought Them Home”. He recently spent several months in Europe, researching his father’s service during the Italian Campaign. In the course of his […]

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Legislature needs to rein in governor’s emergency powers

2026-03-03T00:37:34Z

By Keli‘i Akina Hawaii’s emergency management law has some critical flaws. Namely, what constitutes an emergency is up to just one person — the governor — who also has wide latitude to address those declared emergencies by indefinitely suspending whatever laws he or she thinks are getting in the state’s way of responding to them. […]

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The Cruise Fee Quandary

2026-03-12T07:57:40Z

Litigation is still raging over the extension of our Transient Accommodations Tax to cruise ships in what has been called the “Green Fee” bill. And the Legislature is getting involved as well. In last year’s legislative session, as you may recall, the TAT was increased and broadened to include cruise ships. The cruise ship industry […]

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Use That Hoarded Tuition and Fees Now

2026-02-23T07:43:10Z

We have been writing several pieces about money languishing in special funds. This week we will concentrate on one of them. The University of Hawaii has a special fund for tuition and fees. According to Department Communication 100 submitted to this year’s Legislature, that fund built up, as of June 30, 2025, almost $429 million. […]

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Bills at the Legislature ‘a good start’ in addressing Hawaii’s healthcare crisis

2026-02-23T15:35:21Z

By Keli‘i Akina People around the world view Hawaii as a paradise. And in a lot of ways, it is. But for many of us who live here, our islands have become a place where we simply cannot afford to get sick. The statewide physician shortage continues to worsen and is now estimated to be 833 full-time […]

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Support local agriculture by removing barriers to farmworker housing

2026-02-18T02:33:28Z

By Keli‘i Akina When it comes to supporting agricultural production in Hawaii, there seems to be a big difference between rhetoric and reality. State and county officials frequently identify farming as the key to diversifying our economy and making our islands self-sufficient in food production. But what policies have they implemented that would make it […]

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Pause versus Stop

2026-02-11T08:30:24Z

In 2024, we in Hawaii became the beneficiaries of Act 46 (House Bill 2404) which the Governor’s office called the “largest income tax cut for working families in the state’s history.” In odd-numbered years up to 2031, the bill jacked up the standard deduction; in even-numbered years, the bill substantially broadened the existing rate brackets […]

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Julian Marley, Five for Fighting, Foghat, Tower of Power, and Reggie Watts Headline a Genre-Spanning February at Blue Note Hawaii

2026-02-13T02:01:01Z

From Grammy-winning reggae and jazz icons to indie innovators, comedy favorites, and local legends, February delivers soul-stirring performances across genres. HONOLULU (February 3, 2026) – Blue Note Hawaii lights up February with a genre-spanning lineup that blends legendary acts, rising stars, and local icons. Pop-rock hitmaker Five for Fighting brings his timeless catalog of anthems […]

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Makana Lei Kukui Tour – March 2026 Hawai’i

2026-02-13T02:01:02Z

Lei Kukui: a night of music to kindle the flames of culture, resilience and a path forward. Rooted in all things Hawaiian yet ripe with cultural diversity, Makana weaves an intimate evening of uplifting and diverse song, stringing together mele and moʻolelo with newly-invented and handed-down slack key tunings, styles and untold stories. Hawaiian slack […]

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Playbook to make housing in Hawaii ‘more abundant and affordable’

2026-02-09T23:14:51Z

By Keli‘i Akina It’s that time of year again — the Sunday in February when many of us gather with family and friends to eat delicious food and tune in to watch the Super Bowl. This year, the Patriots and Seahawks will take the field, each having made it to the championship game by following […]

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Idle Land and Natural Resource Funds

2026-02-09T07:54:05Z

Earlier this year, we started looking at reports of agencies that have administratively established special funds. We noted some fairly large nest eggs controlled by the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. This week we will turn our attention to the Department of Land and Natural Resources because we wouldn’t want […]

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Family of Spies

2026-04-05T00:55:28Z

Family of Spies—A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor by Christine Kuehn, is a terrific read. It’s the second work I’ve encountered in the last six months in what I’ve dubbed as the “my-German-grandfather-did-odious-things-during-the-war” genre. Both are nonfiction creations from American journalists who uncovered disturbing truths […]

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Audit finds Honolulu OER big on spending, short on accomplishments

2026-02-02T17:40:47Z

By Keli‘i Akina It seems that Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization is very good at spending money, but not particularly effective at revitalizing the county’s economy. That’s not just my opinion. The Honolulu Office of the City Auditor released an audit earlier this month that paints a picture of an agency that has spent hundreds of millions […]

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