WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Ed Case (D-HI) in introducing a resolution recognizing February 2023 as Hawaiian Language Month, or Mahina Olelo Hawaii. "For centuries, people across the Hawaiian Islands spoke Olelo Hawaii, but after being banned from schools and government in 1896, Olelo Hawaii nearly went extinct," said Se  more

WASHINGTON, March 3 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned U.S. Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland about how the Department of Justice (DOJ) is protecting women seeking reproductive services and combating domestic terrorism during a full committee hearing. During her line of questioning, Senator Hirono asked about what steps the DOJ is taking to ensure that women can travel to   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pushed for Congress to enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution by recognizing the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) during a full committee hearing. During the hearing, which included testimony from U.S. Senators, public officials, and legal experts, Senator Hirono highlighted the importance of ERA ratificati  more

WASHINGTON, March 3 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) led 30 of her colleagues in pushing to prevent local and state law enforcement from using federal assistance to surveil or investigate individuals receiving or providing abortion care. In a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris, the lawmakers urged the Administration to uphold its commitment to reproductive rights and take all necessary steps to   more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following statement on Feb. 28, 2023: * * * Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement after President Biden's decision to nominate Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su to serve as the country's next Secretary of Labor: "President Biden made the right choice in nominating Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su to serve as the next Secretary of Labor. Throughout her career, Deputy Secretary Su has been a strong an  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- 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 Douglas O'Donnell, Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), urging the IRS to take action to ensure individuals and families impacted by the fuel leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility are not required to pay taxes on emergency reimbursements they received for expenses incurred as a result of the leaks. "Approximat  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2023: Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) announced her appointment to serve on three Subcommittees on the House Committee on Agriculture: * The Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture oversees nutrition, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; horticulture including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and specialty crops; bees; organic agriculture; foreign agricultur  more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on March 2, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today introduced new legislation to help stop illegal child labor. Schatz's Child Labor Prevention Act would increase maximum fines for violations and establish new criminal penalties to deter child labor and hold employers accountable. "Right now, our laws are allowing some of the worst employers get away with exploiting kids for labor with nothing more   more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Transportation's recent announcement on improving safety and accountability in the rail industry. "USDOT's new announcement is a key step forward to improving safety and holding rail companies accounta  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) reintroduced legislation to protect federal workers and their families from foreclosures, evictions, and loan defaults during a government shutdown. The Federal Employee Civil Relief Act would enable government employees and contractors to postpone payment obligations during a shutdown or debt default and for 30 days afterward  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2023: U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today announced that the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole will receive $1.2 million to replace and upgrade its fire alarm system. "This new fire alarm system will help ensure that Kona International Airport meets current safety standards, and help keep people safe," said Senator Schatz, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee   more