Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE HIRONO STATEMENT ON HAWAII VA WAIT TIMES Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement on data revealed showing Honolulu’s Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center has the longest average wait time – 145 days – in the U.S. Department of Veterans’ […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono has applauded the announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting renewal requests for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for undocumented immigrant children. “I commend the Department of Homeland Security for announcing the renewal of the DACA […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services and the Veterans’ Affairs committees, voted this week to pass the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) out of committee. “As home to the U.S. Pacific Command, Hawaii plays a key role in our military’s strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono introduced the National Guard Leadership Act, legislation to provide the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB) with greater input into the selection of senior leadership for the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Currently, the NGB’s internal recommendation process is fluid and not governed by law or […]

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MEDIA RELEASE William S. Richardson School of Law student Janna Wehilani “Wehi” Ahu, who grew up in the tiny fishing village of Milolii, has been named the 2014 Patsy T. Mink Legislative Fellow. She receives a $5,000 stipend from the Law School to pay for a summer internship in Washington D.C., working in the office […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono has announced the release of more than $3.1 million from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Hawaii environmental research, education and ocean management efforts. Funds will support the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, University of Hawaii Marine Option Program, Pacific International Center for High Technology Research and […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has introduced with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and colleagues the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, legislation that would allow those with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at the lower interest rates currently offered to new borrowers. Over the last 30 years, the cost of college has […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $1 million to help combat the coffee berry borer that has been ravaging Hawaii Island coffee farms for almost four years. The funding will be distributed through the Integrated Pest Management (IMP) Program at USDA and be divided […]

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Special to Hawaii 24/7 A delegation from Hawaii attended events in Washington, D.C. last earlier this month for American Bar Association Day 2014. ABA Day is the association’s annual grassroots action week and brings together lawyers from across the country to lobby members of Congress on issues important to the legal profession and the administration […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Mazie K. Hirono has announced nearly $8.7 million in federal funds for job training, including skills assessments, job-search and resume help, long-term job-training programs and apprenticeships in Hawaii. The state Workforce Development Division operates One-Stop Centers on Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui and Kauai, using public-private partnerships and collaborations to provide job-training services. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE HIRONO, REED, WHITEHOUSE, HINOJOSA INTRODUCE BILL TO EXPAND PELL GRANTS Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Pell Grant Protection Act, legislation that preserves and expands access to Pell Grants. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), the Ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee for Higher Education and Workforce […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has announced that Sen. Mazie K. Hirono will become chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action. The subcommittee was created at the beginning of the 113th Congress to provide oversight and review of agency rulemaking and agency action. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The House of Representatives passed legislation Monday sponsored by Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Dean Heller (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) that provides expedited tax relief for Americans making charitable donations in support of Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts in the Philippines. The bill was sponsored in the U.S. House of […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Senate has passed the bipartisan Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, legislation that includes Sen. Mazie K. Hirono’s measures for Native Hawaiian children. The bill updates and improves the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program created in 1990, which provides states with federal funding to help low-income […]

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