In the news

William S. Richardson School of Law student Janna Wehilani "Wehi" Ahu, whose family comes from the tiny fishing village of Miloli‘i on Hawai‘i Island, has been named the 2014 Patsy T. Mink Legislative Fellow.  She receives a $5,000 stipend from the Law School to pay for a summer internship in Washington D.C., working in the...

Hawaii U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were on the losing end of a 53-40 vote today on an $85 billion tax package. Sixty votes were required to move forward on the legislation. Red the entire piece at: http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/05/us-senate-gop-blocks-progress-on-85b-tax-package/

Hawaii’s US senators last week joined a coalition working to reduce interest rates on outstanding student loans. Nationwide, some 38 million Americans are paying off student loans which carry interest rates of 6.8% or higher. While a law passed last year allows students taking out new loans before July to pay a rate of 3.86%, those with...

A former congressional staffer for retired U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka has been appointed to a high-level Pentagon position by President Barack Obama. Debra S. Wada, a St. Andrew's Priory graduate, was appointed as assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs. Her nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. U.S. Rep. Colleen...

The U.S. Senate this week voted to confirm Pamela Hamamoto as U.S. representative to theUnited Nations office in Geneva.   The office serves “as a connection between research institutions, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and diplomatic missions,” according to press releases from the...

The U.S. Senate, including both Hawaii senators, voted Thursday to confirm Hawaii native Pamela Hamamoto as U.S. Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva with the rank of Ambassador. “Pamela will no doubt be able to draw on her experiences growing up in Hawaii and her wealth of professional expertise to fill this role with skill...

More than $3.5 million in federal funds have been released for the continued modernization of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz announced Wednesday. The funds will be allocated as follows: Corporate Server/Data Center Agreement, Windows Server: $600,000 Bridge Crane Building 214A, 30-Ton: $626,000 Hydrostatic...

Micronesian community members marched from Kalihi to the federal building in Honolulu on Wednesday to rally for migrant health care and ask Hawaii's congressional delegation to redouble its efforts to reinstate Medicaid payments. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that the state has no obligation to offer paid health...

On the one-year anniversary of the introduction of the U.S. Senate's immigration reform bill, Sen. Mazie Hirono expressed dismay that the U.S. House of Representatives has not taken up the cause. "Not only would our bill strengthen our economy and reduce the deficit, but it would also help real people by bringing...

Since her first semester at the University of Hawai‘i, Heide Murakami has used money from several sources to pay for college. Most helpful in that effort, the junior chemistry major said, has been the Pell Grant she’s received from the federal government. “It pays for quite a bit in college,” she said. “I’ve...

Hawaii’s congressional delegation has introduced a bill designed to continue a boost to international tourism. The Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act would reauthorizeBrand USA for five more years. Sen. Brian Schatz said the travel promotion program last year increased inbound travel by 2.3...

A deadline is looming for those who want to help with relief efforts for the Philippines. Parts of that country are still struggling to recover from last year's deadly and destructive natural disaster -- Super Typhoon Haiyan. Five months ago, the most powerful typhoon ever recorded roared ashore in the Philippines. Winds over 200 miles an hour...

Sen. Mazie Hirono is advocating for a bill aimed at encouraging tourism from Hong Kong, Macau and other territories. Hirono introduced the measure known as the Subnational Visa Waiver Program Act along with Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). The bill would give the Secretary of Homeland Security the...

Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono is co-sponsoring legislation that would expand the U.S. visa-waiver program to include subnational territories such as Hong Kong and Macau, which would allow residents to travel more freely to the United States. The bill would allow the Department of Homeland Security to consider subnational territories...

U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono from Hawaii visited Fleet Integrated Synthetic Test and Training Facility (FIST2FAC) at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Detachment Pacific on Ford Island, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 20. As a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, one of Hirono’s missions is seeking to further explore the...

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, was named the chairwoman of the Senate’s Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action Committee Thursday. The subcommittee was created at the beginning of the 113th Congress to provide oversight and review of agency rule making and agency action. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who currently chairs the...

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono has been named the new chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on oversight, federal rights and agency action. U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the announcement on Thursday. The subcommittee was created last year to provide oversight of agency...

Taxpayers who donate to Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts before midnight April 15 — the deadline to file federal tax returns — can claim deductions on their 2013 tax return forms, thanks to a bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono. The Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, provides...

Taxpayers who haven’t filed their 2013 income tax returns yet have a rare chance this year to get a last-minute deduction. Normally, Americans can claim deductions for charitable contributions made through Dec. 31, a deadline that typically spurs a flurry of end-of-year giving. This year, under a law signed March 25 by President Barack Obama,...

U.S. President Barack Obama has signed into law a legislative measure that would allow American taxpayers to claim deductions for donations they made to support relief and rehabilitation efforts in the Philippines in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda. The new law, called the Charitable Giving Assistance Act, would allow taxpayers who donate to...