WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the Senate Armed Services Committee added full funding authorization for the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-H) during its markup on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The inclusion of the $162 million authorization reverses the Trump Administration's decision to zero-out funding in its budget request for the project - which   more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, June 10 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on June 9: Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) announced that the federal government has awarded more than $31 million additional dollars under emergency funding measures to the State of Hawai'i to mitigate the immediate health and economic impacts of COVID-19. "After Congress enacted H.R. 748, the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, in March, the federal government moved quickly to get desperately needed emergency assistance   more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, June 9 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives his proposed "Air Travel Public Health Emergency Act" to ensure the health and safety of air passengers and the public by authorizing states to implement reasonable guidelines and restrictions on air travel during public health emergencies, including pre-board tests and related denial of boarding. "Passenger air travel is, or can be,  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: This week, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced that Hawai'i will be receiving over $54 million in Title I, Part A federal aid for schools to help improve teaching and learning opportunities for at-risk students, especially those in low-income communities. The first round of funds will be dispersed in July with the remaining funds, as adjusted, becoming available in October. "Many of our keiki face challeng  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continues to ensure that Hawai'i and vulnerable communities across the country are at the forefront of Congressional efforts to help deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 public health crisis. She announced that new funding for housing and healthcare providers is coming to Hawai'i. "As the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic continue, I am continuing to work in Congress to make sure tha  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Mark T. Esper requesting information about servicemembers and veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and who have been infected or are being tested for COVID-19 infection. "Over a million of my brothers and sisters in uniform and veterans were exposed to to  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia, issued the following joint statement after Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to appear before the committee and explain the use of the military in response to peaceful protesters in the D.C.: The statement was co-authored by Reps. Susan Davis, D-California, Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, Rick Larsen, D-Washington, Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, John Garamendi, D-California, Jackie Speier, D-California, Tulsi Gabbard,   more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) cosponsored the Justice in Policing Act, legislation introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). The legislation marks the first comprehensive bill dedicated to ending police brutality, holding police accountable for egregio  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on June 12: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that two child care centers for Hawaii were authorized for construction in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday on a 25-2 vote. Both the Aliamanu Military Reservation and Schofield Barracks are the anticipated sites for these child care centers, which are expected to s  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act includes more than $200 million to support critical military construction projects in Hawaii. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed the legislation on a 25-2 vote. "Military installations across Hawaii play an essential role in supporting our country's strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific regi  more

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to introduce the Visit America Act, which would set a visitation goal of 116 million annual international travelers to the United States by 2028, formally authorize the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, and create a high-ranking position within the Department of Commerce focused on bolstering America  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the bipartisan Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act to establish limitations and create greater transparency on the federal transfer of surplus military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies. This prohibition only applies to offensive equipment and does not prohibit the transfer of defensive equipment, such as body armor. "Weapons of wa  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined his Democratic Senate colleagues to urge Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to streamline and simplify the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application process and ensure the smallest and most underserved businesses are able to fully take  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii is set to receive $30,837,789 in new federal funding to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic among homeless families and individuals. County governments will be able to use these funds to improve and operate emergency shelters, rehouse homeless families, and provide mental health support, job assistance, and other essential services. "Our  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii County will receive $1,195,089.75 in new federal funding to repair the Laupahoehoe Gulch Bridge along the Mamalahoa Highway after damage from Hurricane Lane in 2018. "We haven't fully recovered from the natural disasters in 2018 yet, but this federal grant will help repair the Laupahoehoe Bridge," said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropria  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee issued the following testimony by Amanda Kaster, acting deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, at a hearing entitled "Wildfire Management in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic" on June 9: I am here today to assure the Committee that, despite COVID-19, DOI is ready, willing, and able to fight wildland fires across the United States, including in Al  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting support for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees to make sure these businesses can fully access coronavirus relief programs. Nationally, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United  more