WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 2: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) cosponsored the Protecting Renters from Eviction and Fees Act, legislation introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to extend and expand the federal eviction moratorium for renters set out in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that is set to end on July 24, 2020. The bill would extend the existing moratorium on evictions from p  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 1 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Two measures introduced by Congressman Ed Case to tackle the effects of climate change are adopted in a report released by Congress' first-ever committee dedicated exclusively to climate change. "Our House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, formed last year at the outset of our current two-year Congress, came out with a revolutionary report today on the realities of climate change and the best ways forw  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 2 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) announced passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 2, the "Moving Forward Act", a $1.5 trillion initiative to rebuild the nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and transit systems. "The measure is more than just a plan to rebuild our transportation infrastructure," said Case, who co-sponsored the bill. "It also commits us to filling out the chronic gaps in the 'informatio  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass S.4116, an extension to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lending deadline from June 30 to August 8. The bill, which was passed in the Senate earlier this week, was considered and adopted in the House by unanimous consent. The bill heads to the President for his signature. "With COVID-19 cases surging across the country, the hard truth is that this pandemi  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 2 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 1: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families-Office of Child Care, awarded a $1,000,000 continuing grant to Maui Family Support Services, Inc. The funds will be used to help subsidize childcare services for Native Hawaiian families and help improve the school success of Native Hawaiian chi  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $8,906,600 in CARES Act funds to the Hawai'i Department of Transportation (HDOT) through its Section 5311 Rural Area Formula fund. "The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our local economy and crippled many public services. These federal funds will help make sure that the public transportation that people depend on  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: This week, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) introduced H.R.7422, the Money Mule Awareness Act, which would help prevent criminals from exploiting vulnerable individuals and tricking them into acting as 'money mules' who launder their illegally obtained money for them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service have been working to raise awareness about the dangers of money mule schemes  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following transcript on July 1: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) joined the family of missing Army Private First Class Vanessa Guillen at a press conference at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. Pfc. Guillen has been missing since April of this year when she disappeared from Fort Hood in Texas. In the weeks that followed, it was revealed that she had been sexually harassed within her unit, which she shared with friends, family, an  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted to pass H.R.2, the INVEST Act, to authorize funding for key infrastructure projects and improvements across the country. She also voted to include a number of amendments that make key improvements to the bill, including an amendment that requires Tribal and Native Hawaiian consultation in the development of the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and improves technical  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), Ed Case (HI-01), and Don Young (AK-at large) introduced the Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act, a bipartisan bill that would authorize the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make adjustments to payment rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) in Hawai'i and Alaska under Medicare. The Secretary currently can do this for hospitals, but doe  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), Ed Case (HI-01), and Don Young (AK-at large) introduced the Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act, a bipartisan bill that would authorize the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make adjustments to payment rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) in Hawai'i and Alaska under Medicare. The Secretary currently can do this for hospitals, but does not   more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) $8.9 million to support rural transit service in Kauai and Hawaii counties during the coronavirus pandemic. The Kauai County Transportation Agency and the County of Hawaii Mass Transit Agency can use these funds on capital, planning, or operational expenses like s  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on July 1: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) called on the Department of Commerce to stop obstructing the release of the Inspector General (IG) Peggy Gustafson's report into the politicization of science during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. "Americans in the path of a serious storm should be able to rely on the federal government to provide factual, science-based information to keep them safe," Senat  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) blasted Facebook's inaction to prevent white supremacist groups and its role in providing such groups with the organizational infrastructure and reach needed to expand using its platform. In a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the senators criticized Facebook for being unable or unwilling to enforce its own Community  more

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following news release: The Alaska Congressional Delegation introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will provide for fair Medicare payments for nursing facilities in Alaska and Hawaii. The bill will authorize a cost-of-living adjustment at skilled nursing facilities in those states to take into account the higher costs of delivering care. The Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act of 2020 is led by U.S. Senators Li  more

WASHINGTON, June 29 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that Hawaii K-12 schools will receive $54,188,328 in new federal funding for the 2020-2021 school year to support initiatives aimed at helping educate low income students. Authorized under Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the funds will be given directly to local education agencies to   more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) announced that the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and Papa Ola Lokahi, which coordinates health care programs and services for Native Hawaiians, will receive a total of $16,999,696 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This funding, provided through the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program, will help the centers provide he  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with her colleagues Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced the Emergency Broadband Connections Act, legislation that helps Americans continue to access high-speed internet during the pandemic. The bill is based on broadband provisions in the House-passed HEROES Act. This bill would provide internet-connect  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced new legislation that will help more small businesses access flexible Small Business Administration (SBA) funding to cover their operational costs and stay open. The legislation will make key updates to the economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) program, including cutting the interest rate to 1 percent, raising the cap on maximum  more

WASHINGTON, June 29 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country. The Schatz-Murkowski-Harris-Paul amendment places limitations on the Department of Defense's 1033 program  more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai'i), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced new legislation that will provide for fair Medicare payments for nursing facilities in Hawai'i and Alaska. The bipartisan bill will authorize a cost-of-living adjustment at skilled nursing facilities in those states to take into account the higher costs of delivering care. "Nu  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a bill to ensure that millions of Americans can access essential broadband access in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Connections Act - sponsored by 26 Senate Democrats - would provide a $50/month benefit to workers who have been laid off or furloughed during th  more