In the news

Hundreds of state Department of Health employees gathered outside the department's headquarters this afternoon to say farewell to the agency's director, Loretta Fuddy, who died in a small plane crash off Molokai Wednesday. Somber family members met with tearful employees and Gov. Neil Abercrombie spoke emotionally, describing Fuddy, 65, as...

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono yesterday joined colleagues to introduce legislation to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act, which provides funding for Children’s Advocacy Centers that help victims of violent crimes and law enforcement. The VOCAA Reauthorization Act of 2013 would increase authorization levels...

Hawaii’s Sen. Mazie Hirono is one of 100 members of Congress being recognized today by the Campaign for Children for their leadership on children’s issues.  The national bipartisan advocacy group praised Hirono as a politician who actually delivers on her promises to improve the lives of keiki, particularly in the realms of early...

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a budget deal today that would “call for $1.012 trillion in federal spending in 2014 while replacing some sequestration cuts,” according to this report in The Hill. The deal is described as a compromise that falls short of “the grand budget...

The U.S. Senate voted 56-38 today to confirm Patricia Millett to the D.C. Circuit Court, “making her the first nominee of President Obama’s to clear the Senate since Democrats unilaterally changed the rules in a vote last month,” according to this report in The Hill. The rule change — the so-called...

Haleakala National Park unveiled a new cultural brochure and celebrated the kupuna who helped to author it, during a special event held this week in Kipahulu. “Some people might question why a national park would hold an event to celebrate the public roll out of a brochure, but this is no ordinary brochure and this is no ordinary...

US Senator Mazie Hirono made several stops on Maui and Molokai this week as part of a statewide visit to meet with constituents and participate in cultural, commemorative, and educational events. During her Maui stop, Senator Hirono met with diverse students, including those from Molokai Middle School, student-veterans at Maui College, and DREAM...

In her only scheduled stop on Molokai, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono visited Molokai Middle School today as part of her continuing effort to champion Hawaii’s voice in Washington, D.C. Sen. Hirono arrived at MMS shortly after 1 p.m. with the intent of seeing the school’s gardening program and its accomplishments in STEM (Science,...

Following is an excerpt from Hirono’s interview on “Women’s Media Center Live With Robin Morgan,” which aired November 23 and is available by podcast at wmclive.com and iTunes. In it, the senator talks about the women who have inspired her, and her commitment to support other women in politics. When I was running...

My mother’s birthday falls around Thanksgiving. This year, she turns 64. Which means it was 42 years ago, at the young age of 21, that my mother immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan to continue her studies and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. With English as her second language, she struggled through graduate studies and medical school...

HONOLULU (AP) — The late Sen. Daniel Inouye was one of 16 Americans awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Barack Obama presented Inouye’s medal to his widow, Irene Hirano Inouye, at a White House ceremony on Wednesday. Gov. Neil Abercombie said in a statement he can think of no one more deserving of the medal. He...

To expedite the release of compensation for Filipino World War II veterans, two legislators have included a provision for this group in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014. The Filipino Veterans Promise Act, inserted in the Defense Act by US Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada and US Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, is expected to help all eligible...

Burned by Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)’s dismissal of the Senate’s bipartisanimmigration reform bill, Democrats have hailed his recent remarks as the nail in the immigration reform coffin. Meanwhile, Republicans have said that Democrats are dramatizing to save face over President Obama’s botched...

The women’s rights community is not giving up on immigration reform. Though the bill that hurtled the Senate is likely dead in the water in the House, women’s groups took to the National Press Club on Tuesday to focus attention on the impact immigrant laws have on women—using the star power of feminist activist and author Gloria...

When I arrived at the Capitol in 2007 to take my oath as a new member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I had the privilege of filling the seat held for so long and so well by my friend Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress. I was so grateful to her. I felt Patsy’s presence when I cast my first vote...

Discovery Communications and STEMconnector® today announced the first-ever STEM Diversity Symposium on Capitol Hill to discuss the accomplishments women and minorities have made in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as the importance of encouraging more women and minorities to pursue STEM studies and...

In the summer of 2012, Hawaii and the surrounding Pacific Ocean played host to the 23rd biannual Rim of the Pacific naval exercise. Last year’s RIMPAC was the world’s largest and most comprehensive maritime exercise, with more than 22 countries participating from across the Asia-Pacific region. While RIMPAC 2012 was notable for its size...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced that he would try to advance yet another of President Obama’s D.C. Circuit Court nominees. Republicans have already blocked two of Obama’s other nominees to the D.C. Court of Appeals, which has three vacancies. Reid said he would file a motion to end debate on the nomination of Nina...

The director of the Bureau of Prisons, Charles E. Samuels, Jr., testified yesterday (Nov. 6) before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing about cost-effective strategies for reducing recidivism. The unsustainable nature of the current federal prison system was a constant theme. Samuels spoke about overcapacity, prison conditions and...

Hawaii Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were among the majority of U.S. senators voting 64-32 on what’s described as “a historic advance for the gay rights cause.” The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives, where...