WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- Sen. Michael F. Bennet, D-Colorado, issued the following news release: Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in introducing the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act, which would expand patient privacy protections by strengthening the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prohibit medical providers from disclosing personal health information related to abortion or pregnancy loss with  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2023: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will increase Hawaii's reimbursement rate for federal child nutrition programs by an additional 13 percent beginning this summer. The new rate will apply to all child meal programs in the state, including the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Se  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 10, 2023: Yesterday, Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), Sen. Brian Schatz (HI), and Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI) introduced the Macadamia Tree Health Initiative Amendments Act. The Macadamia Tree Health Initiative Amendments Act would amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act by expanding high-priority research and extension grants to: * Develop and disseminate 15 scien  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was named Chair of the Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness & Management Support for the 118th Congress. The Readiness Subcommittee oversees the capabilities and preparedness of U.S. Armed Forces and has jurisdiction over military training, logistics, and maintenance; military construction; base housing construction and pri  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) has invited Kalei Grant, a Native Hawaiian trafficking survivor leader who now advocates for other survivors of sex trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence, to be her guest for President Biden's State of the Union Address. Last month, Kalei participated in a roundtable discussion--convened by Senator Hirono--with Native Hawaiian survivors of gender-based viol  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on Feb. 7, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement on President Biden's State of the Union Address. "Tonight, President Biden highlighted the historic progress Democrats have made for the American people over the past two years. From capping health care costs, to rebuilding our infrastructure, to fighting climate change and much more, Democrats are building a country a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) sent a letter to Dr. Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), urging her to take action to reduce call hold times for individuals calling from Hawaii. Due to a recent change in how calls to SSA call centers are routed, callers from Hawaii have been experiencing longer hold times, making it harder for them to access Soci  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act, legislation that would expand patient privacy protections by strengthening the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prohibit medical providers from disclosing personal health information related to abortion or pregnancy loss without patient con  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 9, 2023: Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced her inaugural bipartisan bill as a Member of Congress, co-led by Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (P.R.), Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), Rep. Garret Graves (LA-06), Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI), and Sen. Brian Schatz (HI). The bipartisan Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act would broaden current language included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USD  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release and letter on Feb. 6, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Navy, and the Defense Logistics Agency to strengthen its proposed consent order on the closure of Red Hill to include more input from Hawai'i residents. "Given the magnitude of the catastrophe and its environmental and community impacts, the order should always allow  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on Feb. 7, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) released the following statement in response to the president's annual State of the Union address. "Tonight, President Biden reflected on the historic progress we made last year. Amid tough economic and political odds, we accomplished more than anyone imagined. We grew jobs at a record pace, cut the cost of prescription drugs, enacted the biggest clima  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) today reintroduced the Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act, bipartisan legislation to expand federal paid leave to include 12 weeks of family and medical leave. Schatz's Senate bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chris V  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) today reintroduced the Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act, bipartisan legislation to expand federal paid leave to include 12 weeks of family and medical leave. Schatz's Senate bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chri  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today announced that two Hawaii County organizations will receive $2.9 million in new federal funding to build new homes and provide services for homeless individuals. "This new federal money will go directly to Hawaii Island and help take people off the streets and into homes," said Senator Schatz, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing and Urban De  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 9, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released an overview of the Committee's work last Congress. The Committee formally organized for the new Congress today. "Last Congress, we secured the biggest federal investment in Native communities in U.S. history, protected essential Indian health care   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were formally elected as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "None of our achievements last Congress would have been possible without this Committee's bipartisan commitment to Native people in Indian Country, in Alaska, and in Hawai'i,"   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, hosted a video call between Members of Congress and NASA Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann - the first Native American woman in space - from the International Space Station. An enrolled member of the   more