Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 19 of her Senate colleagues in filing an amendment to require that the weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict. “This amendment will help to...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), U.S. Representative Norma Torres (D-CA), and 18 colleagues in introducing bicameral legislation to improve voter registration efforts at naturalization ceremonies. The Including New Voters In The Electorate (INVITE) Act would designate United States Citizenship...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined over 65 of her congressional colleagues in sending a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, supporting the Commission’s proposal to expand the E-Rate program to allow schools and libraries to loan out Wi-Fi hotspots to students and educators. In...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) joined Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing legislation to increase the amount that hospitals in Hawaii and Alaska can be reimbursed by Medicare to perform outpatient care, such as emergency department visits and imaging services, for...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and four colleagues in introducing the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act to prevent companies from using algorithms to collude to set higher prices. “Healthy, transparent competition is critical to making sure consumers and small businesses are treated...

~ Lawmakers introduce legislation to speed up enforcement against companies that allow landlords to collude on rent increases ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and six colleagues in introducing the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, legislation that would crack...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, introduced Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Jr. at a full Committee hearing considering his nomination to serve as the next Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM)....

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) in reintroducing the Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement (GRACE) Act, legislation that would ensure a U.S. President could not set a Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions below 125,000 refugees. “The...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed the CEOs of five major social media platforms—Meta, X Corp., TikTok Inc., Snap Inc., and Discord Inc.—about the dangers that underage users face on these platforms. In the hearing, Senator Hirono called out the companies for attracting...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) led 48 other Senators and Representatives in sending a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), urging the...

~ Delegation Worked With USDA To Push For Increase For Hawaii ~ WASHINGTON, DC – Following calls led by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-HI) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will increase the recently-authorized summer meal benefit for children...

~ NEA grant recipients include Bishop Museum, Maui County, and others ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is awarding grants totaling $423,000 to Hawaii groups and organizations to promote the arts across the islands. The recipients include the Bishop Museum; Hawaii Women...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) recognizing National Board Certified Teachers by designating the last week of January as “National Board Certified Teacher Week.” “I am glad the Senate has...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) introduced a resolution to recognize National Board Certified Teachers by designating the last week of January as “National Board Certified Teacher Week.” The resolution, also led by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), encourages administrators,...

~ Amendment reiterates longstanding, bipartisan consensus on need for separate, mutually-recognized states for Israelis, Palestinians ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 47 colleagues in announcing plans to file an amendment to the forthcoming national security supplemental package that...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representatives Grace Meng (D-NY) and Judy Chu (D-CA) led 12 of their House and Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to prevent House Republicans from reinstating the “China Initiative,” a Trump-era program created in 2018 that purported to combat...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 11 of her colleagues in sending a letter to Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Martin Gruenberg, and Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu, reiterating their support for the new capital requirements proposed by the Federal...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in introducing bipartisan legislation to develop guidelines for state and local governments to improve emergency evacuation preparedness. The Emergency Vehicle and Community (EVAC) Planning Act would...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined 27 of her Senate colleagues in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, sounding their concerns about the administration’s delay in finalizing proposed rules to end the sale of menthol flavor in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars. The Food and...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced the nomination of 32 Hawaii students to U.S. military service academies for the Class of 2028. The nominees will advance for consideration by each academy’s director of admissions. “It is inspiring to see students across Hawaii, year after year, apply to our military service academies...