Legislative update, COVID, District, UI, Entertainment

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: We Have Decked the Bills!
Thursday night, our office received the last committee report (all measures require public hearing and must be passed and reported out of the committee), preparing bills for final reading to “crossover” to the House.  So far, the Senate has sent 130 bills to the House.  For a list of bills that have crossed over, click here.  On Tuesday, the senate will hear another 300 bills before they can crossover.

As the new chair of the Senate Committee on Government Operations (GVO), our office took on several new responsibilities to look at ways government can more efficiently and effectively and improve and upgrade information technology.  Our committee heard and passed 43 bills that can be seen here.  Some of our work to streamline government is highlighted in Star Advertiser Dan Nakaso’s article. To read  the full article, click here. One of the bills SB1303, would have required the state Budget & Finance director to review all state agencies biennially for possible ways to streamline operations, and report findings to the legislature.  We held this bill because the law already mandates these reviews.  Unfortunately, they haven’t done this since 2007 so we are introducing a resolution to urge the Governor to require that the reviews immediately re-commence. We are working on finalizing this and other resolutions as we wait to receive the bills crossing over from the House and will post here next week.

This week marks one year of coronavirus in Hawaii
Today marks the one year anniversary of the arrival of the first positive coronavirus case. On March 6, 2020,  Waikiki streets were still packed with tourists. Twenty days later, then Honolulu Mayor Caldwell announced the “stay at home, work from home” order, followed by Gov. Ige’s emergency proclamation which went into effect on March 26, mandating a 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers to the State of Hawaii. Masks became the new normal by the end of April. As the state’s unemployment rate began to soar, as did the number of COVID-19 cases which peaked at its highest in a single day at 355 on August 13, 2020. Fast forward to when the first COVID vaccines arrived on December 14, 2020, until today, as we get 40,000 to 50,000 doses a week. A program to allow vaccinated people to travel quarantine and COVID test-free is in the works. Hopefully the CDC will release more guidance to further ease travel restrictions.

State extends COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those 70 and older
With more vaccine shipments en route, Hawaii health officials are expanding the pool of people eligible to receive the vaccine to include Hawaii residents ages 70 and older beginning Monday, March 8. Officials are also considering broadening the eligibility pool to the 65-and-older cohort thanks to the boost in supply. Residents 70 or older will be able to sign up for vaccines at hawaiicovid19.com. For more info, click here.

Kupuna Urged to Take COVID-19 Survey About COVID-19 Vaccine Experience
AARP Hawaii wants to hear from kupuna 50 and older about their experiences with the COVID-19 vaccine process in an attempt to improve the process. The results will be gathered through March 8 and posted on the AARP Hawaii website. AARP Hawaii will discuss the results during their COVID-19 vaccine telephone town hall on Wednesday, March 10, 12:00pm – 1:00pm.  Lt. Gov. Josh Green and Ron Balajadia, department of health chief of the Immunization Branch, will also answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine effort in Hawaii.  Register to join the meeting by emailing: hiaarp@aarp.org. The online questionnaire is available here.  For more info, click here.

Weigh in on Howard Hughes Corp’s Kakaako Towers: March 10 @ 10am
Bring your questions and/or concerns to the Kakaako virtual public hearing before the Hawaii Community Development Authority on March 10 at 10am regarding developer Howard Hughes’ plans for two new towers, Ulana Ward Village and The Park on Ward. Both will add 1,243 new homes to the Kakaako neighborhood. They will be the eighth and ninth towers to be added to Ward Village and are projected for construction in about two years in the area formerly known as Ward Centers. The high-rise condos will be part of a new phase of construction which allocates more than $1 billion and includes 90,000 square feet of additional public park space, including an elevated walkway over Ala Moana Boulevard. For the hearing notices and to submit testimony, follow these links: Ulana Ward Village, The Park on Ward

Rise of Victoria Place Tower By End of March
Howard Hughes Corp. also plans to start building Victoria Place on part of the former Ward Warehouse site fronting Ala Moana Boulevard after maintaining a momentum of unit price sales averaging over $1 million in the planned 349-unit high-rise. As of Feb. 19, sales totaled 80.5% of the tower. The developer has a state-approved master plan envisioning 16 towers and 4,500 homes along with public parks and 1 million square feet of retail on 60 acres. For more info, click here.

Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board Community Action Committee Meeting Convenes March 11
The meeting is coming up on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 6:00pm. See the AGENDA . Discussion will include:

• Ala Wai Promenade Project
• Kamehameha School’s Kaiāulu o Kaka‘ako Master Plan
• Ala Moana Transit Plaza Project
• Keeaumoku Complete Streets Project
• Kakaako Makai and Convention Center Area Development

To join the meeting and/or submit testimony, click on the agenda above.

Tax Info for UI Claimants
If you did not receive form 1099-G for calendar year 2020, contact your local UI claims office here. Form 1099-G was mailed out on or about January 27, 2021 to all who received unemployment insurance and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits in 2020. The form includes the amount of benefits paid and other information to meet Federal, State, and personal income tax needs for the tax year. The 1099-G information is available for viewing at here. Log in to your online account and select “Claim Inquiry” from the main menu. Then select “Display 1099 Information.” For more info, click here.

UI Benefits Extension Program Activated in Hawaii
Good news for UI claimants who have been waiting for the additional 11-week Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program which has now launched in Hawaii.  DLIR system updates will provide claimants with an additional 11 weeks of benefits as well as an additional $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation weekly benefit. The DLIR began processing some 68,000 potential eligible claims last month in batches of 5,000 to 10,000 claims on a nightly basis. Once a monetary determination is available, claimants will be able to file weekly claim certifications going back to the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Payments will be issued as a lump sum.

DLIR hires contractor to update antiquated mainframe
Working with an antiquated mainframe system, UI claimants have had to experience payment delays due to the department having to reprogram the old system for every new federal unemployment program. However, DLIR just signed a contract to modernize the technology to make the system easier to use, prevent UI-related fraud, waste, and abuse, and provide timely, uninterrupted benefits and modern services to employers. For more info, click here.

Condominium Education
The Hawaii Real Estate Commission is presenting a new series called the “Hawaii Condo Living Guide” which covers condominium issues like things to know when buying a condo, condominium ownership, and owners’ rights & responsibilities. The videos are engaging, interesting and short (under 5 minutes each) and can be viewed here here.  For more info, click here.

March Free Food Distribution
WHEN: March 6, 13, 20, 27 (Saturdays)
TIME: 12 – 1:30 (While Supplies Last)
WHERE: 653 Ala Moana Blvd. HI 96813 Corner of Keawe St. & Ala Moana Blvd. (old pump station)
SAFETY MEASURES: Walk-ins only. No registration. No loitering around the premises.  Stand in line on the yellow tape on the ground. Do not save spots for anyone. No drive-through or parking available. Parking in front of our premises and parking in front of the Sheriff’s office are tow-away zones.  Always 6ft social distancing and wearing a mask.
PRESENTED BY: The Na Kamae Senior Center, this project is made possible in partnership with Aloha Harvest, Help Is on the Way, Ham Produce & Seafood, Inc., and the USDA.

Stricter AlohaQ appointment system aims to improve Honolulu County customer service
Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services is limiting online reservations for renewing state ID or Hawaii driver’s license to those whose credentials expire in three months or less.  While the AlohaQ.org site previously encouraged people not to renew their state ID or driver’s license more than three months prior to expiration, the site now has an “expiration checker” that requires the person to enter name, birth date and license or ID number to verify they are within the new window to make an appointment. For more info on the AlohaQ system updates, click here.