Sen. Brenton Awa

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution urges the United States Air Force to stop plans for building the AMOS STAR facility, a proposed telescope complex on the summit of Haleakala in Maui. The measure directly affects federal military space-tracking operations and local communities concerned about cultural and environmental impacts. It highlights concerns that the project would further militarize sacred Hawaiian land and alter a protected conservation area, while noting community opposition regarding transparency and access. The resolution asks federal officials to explore alternative locations for space surveillance infrastructure that would not impact culturally significant sites.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the City and County of Honolulu to conduct a study on the financial and policy effects of tax exemptions for active-duty military vehicles. The bill directs county officials to work with the Department of Customer Services to analyze how many military vehicles qualify for exemptions, how much revenue is lost annually, and what the future financial impact might be. The study will also examine administrative costs and federal legal restrictions that affect the county's ability to collect these taxes. Results and recommendations must be submitted to the state Legislature by early 2027. This measure does not change any current laws but instead asks for data to inform future policy decisions.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution requests a study to examine how federal housing allowances, such as the Basic Allowance for Housing, affect rental market conditions in Hawaii. The study will be conducted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism in collaboration with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and will focus on areas with significant military presence. Key areas of investigation include analyzing the relationship between housing allowance rates and rental prices, assessing whether prices cluster near military installations, and evaluating the potential impact on local working families. The study will also measure the economic benefits of federal housing expenditures to provide a balanced assessment of both costs and benefits. The final report is to be submitted to the Legislature by the end of 2026.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution urges the U.S. Air Force to stop plans for building the AMOS STAR facility, a proposed telescope and research site on the summit of Haleakalā in Maui. The bill directly affects the Air Force and federal agencies managing the project, while also reflecting the concerns of local Native Hawaiian communities and environmental groups. It highlights that the summit is a sacred cultural site and argues that the cumulative development there has already altered the natural and cultural landscape. The resolution calls for the Air Force to halt the project, which would occupy nearly an acre of land and include up to seven telescopes, and suggests that alternative locations exist for space surveillance needs.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests a study to examine how federal housing allowances, such as the Basic Allowance for Housing, affect rental market conditions in Hawaii. The study will be conducted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism in collaboration with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and other stakeholders. It will analyze whether military housing allowances influence rental prices, landlord behavior, and housing availability for local residents, while also assessing the economic benefits of federal housing spending in the state. The final report is due to the Legislature before the start of the 2027 session and will be shared with state officials and the congressional delegation.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the Department of the Attorney General to submit an annual report on legal cases involving Native Hawaiian traditional and customary rights and the state's public trust obligations under Articles XI and XII of the Hawaii State Constitution. The resolution cites numerous court decisions where state agencies were found to have failed in their constitutional duties to protect Native Hawaiian rights and public trust resources. The request aims to create a systematic record of litigation related to these specific constitutional provisions without mandating any policy changes or requiring specific outcomes from the reported cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a concurrent resolution that asks the next Hawaii Legislature to remove the "with reservations" voting option from its internal rules. Currently, Hawaii is the only state where legislators can formally vote this way, which counts as a favorable vote but allows members to express partial disagreement. The resolution requests that future rules require legislators to choose only between "aye" or "no" votes on measures. This change would affect all members of the Hawaii State Senate and House of Representatives in the Thirty-Fourth Legislature and subsequent sessions. The bill does not alter how legislation is passed, only how individual votes are recorded and counted.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution requests the City and County of Honolulu to conduct a study on the financial and policy effects of the tax exemption for active-duty military personnel's vehicles. The study will examine how many military vehicles qualify for the exemption, calculate the lost tax revenue over the past five years, and project future impacts on road maintenance funding. It will also assess administrative costs and identify any federal legal restrictions that might affect the county's ability to change the policy. The findings are intended to help officials understand the current tax treatment of military vehicles and inform future decisions about infrastructure funding.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the Hawaii State Department of Education to fulfill its contractual obligations to doctoral-level educational psychology stipend recipients by establishing and funding appropriate Educational Psychologist positions. The bill asks the department to provide a detailed report on the number of program participants, existing positions, and how current job classifications align with the doctoral training and licensure requirements originally promised. It specifically seeks clarification on whether Mental Health Interventionist roles adequately reflect the specialized education and skills of these professionals, and requests a plan to expand positions statewide to meet both student mental health needs and workforce commitments. The resolution aims to ensure fiscal accountability and fairness to professionals who made multi-year service agreements based on specific job classifications and placement guarantees.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution urges the governor of Hawaii to reconsider his decision not to allow the state to participate in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit Program. The program offers a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to scholarship organizations, which can then be used to provide educational scholarships to low- and middle-income students for private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses. Hawaii would need to opt-in to the program to become a participating state, and the bill highlights that the program is funded through private contributions rather than state tax dollars. The resolution notes that 23 states have already opted in and that Hawaii's current education proficiency rates are relatively low, suggesting potential benefits from expanding educational choice options.