Lawmakers opened a new session of the Hawaii State Legislature on Wednesday with proposals to provide more tax relief to working families and impose fees on travellers using popular state parks and trails.
Lawmakers also vowed to hold hearings on ethics reform bills after two former lawmakers last year pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in office in exchange for influencing legislation.
House Speaker Scott Saiki said he favored expanding the earned income tax credit, which he estimated would help about 100,000 working households.
He said there have been some proposals to offer food or rental tax credits, but he believes enlarging the earned income tax credit would provide relief at “one entry point.” He didn't offer a specific dollar amount, saying “we'll see what happens” during the session.
Gov. Josh Green told reporters after the House and Senate opening ceremonies that he supported Saiki a “thousand percent” on the tax credit. He said he would propose US$306 million in tax relief for working families during his State of the State speech next Monday.
Green, who is just one month into his first term as governor, said he didn't expect much conflict with the House and Senate, though they may have some different opinions.
“We all want the same thing, which is to make Hawaii affordable, to have a good housing inventory and probably keep our climate intact,” Green said. “There's not much else right now that's on people's minds.”
Green is a Democrat and Democrats hold overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate.
Senate President Ron Kouchi said he believes the state could raise US$20 million to US$40 million a year in fees from tourists visiting state parks. He reiterated that he preferred this approach to Green's proposal to charge a fee to travellers arriving at the airport.
“I'm committed to work with him to get the resources we need from the people we agree should be paying to take care of our natural resources,” Kouchi said in remarks on the Senate floor.
On housing, House Majority Leader Rep. Nadine Nakamura said her caucus aims to provide US$300 million to promote the construction of affordable housing.
Lawmakers also vowed to follow through to ensure the Department of Hawaiian Homelands effectively uses US$600 million appropriated last year to provide housing to Native Hawaiians.
On ethics reform, the House and Senate say they will evaluate legislation and rule changes recommended by the House Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct. The House created the panel last year after the bribery charges came to light.
Former Sen. Kalani English, who admitted accepting US$18,000 cash and Las Vegas hotel rooms from a Honolulu businessman, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Former Rep. Ty Cullen is due to be sentenced in April. He admitted accepting US$23,000 in cash and New Orleans casino chips from the same businessman.
House Judiciary Chairperson David Tarnas said he aimed to hold a hearing for every bill resulting from the commission's recommendations.
Tarnas said he asked each House member to read the panel's report carefully, examine the recommendations and study the commission's hearings.
“The whole point here is to try to improve transparency in our operations here so we can improve people's trust in us,” Tarnas told reporters.
One commission recommendation was to require lawmakers to disclose certain relationships with lobbyists. The panel also suggested requiring committee chairpersons to say why they are deferring a measure or not scheduling a bill for public hearing.
House Rep. Nadine Nakamura, the chairperson for the House rules committee, said she would look at the commission's ideas for changing rules and consider what reforms could be adopted now and what could wait until later. She said her committee is considering holding public hearings to get the public's input on the rule-change proposals.
Kouchi told reporters the Senate would consider the ethics reform legislation. Potential rule changes would be brought to the caucus, “and we'll see what happens,” he said.
He said the Senate hopes to quickly meet one of the commission's recommendations, which is to post online reports on the spending of individual legislator allowances.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Ukraine worked Thursday to get much-needed new supplies of weapons and ammunition from a huge U.S. aid package to its eastern front line, where Russia was pressing forward with its efforts to take ground from outnumbered and outgunned troops.
A Sydney bishop who was stabbed repeatedly in an alleged extremist attack blamed on a teenager has backed X Corp. owner Elon Musk's legal bid to overturn an Australian ban on sharing graphic video of the attack on social media.
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
A ship travelling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
A court in Turkiye sentenced nine rail officials to more than 108 years' imprisonment over a crash six years ago that killed 25 people, local media reported on Thursday.
Eleven Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election were charged Wednesday with conspiracy, fraud and forgery, marking the fourth state to bring charges against 'fake electors.'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
It was a powerful morning at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre Wednesday, where the Lieutenant Governor hosted the annual Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast and a provincial doctor told his story of survival from a deadly heart condition.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. while his campaign has embraced the platform and tried to work with influencers.
A new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but his own government will continue to look out for Canadians' security.
In the last year, Tim Hortons has treated cottaging Canadians to a boat drivethru, revived its beloved Dutchie doughnut and launched flatbread pizzas. But perhaps its biggest surprise will come this summer.
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
A judge has declined to dismiss hundreds of lawsuits filed against rap star Travis Scott over his role in the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge.
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
New condo sales in the Toronto region dropped to the lowest quarterly total since the financial crisis in 2009 amid high interest rates and affordability issues, a new report has found.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
The Nashville Predators downed the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Tuesday night and levelled the series at 1-1.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
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A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
A Canadian sports economist is encouraging Canucks fans to enjoy the team’s playoff run, but cautioning against having big expectations around economic spinoffs.
The man who was stabbed by a stranger on the White Rock Pier last weekend is new to Canada, according to his wife.
Police and firefighters are going door-to-door telling people who live in the vicinity of a wildfire burning out of control near Chetwynd they need to evacuate.
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
The City of Calgary's wildlife team says they're fielding hundreds of calls about coyotes.
A serious vehicle collision near Okotoks, Alta., shut down roadways on Wednesday evening.
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
The capital is set to have a sunny day with mild temperatures this Thursday.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating following a shooting that happened earlier this month at the wrong residence in the Champlain Township.
The director of education for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says making sure elementary school students can attend classes close to home is an important part of making schooling in Ottawa more equitable.
A mother and daughter are speaking out after a Quebec man was sentenced to house arrest for years of domestic abuse. They were both physically assaulted by the mother's ex-partner and say the offender got off with another light sentence.
Speaking to CTV News, some Montreal drivers said they were in favour of the new measure and said they'd like to see Quebec follow suit.
Kristin O'Neill had a goal and an assist in helping lead Montreal to a 5-2 win over New York and clinch a playoff spot in the Professional Women's Hockey League.
The Alberta government says it will pay nurse practitioners 80 per cent of what family doctors are paid – if they want to practice comprehensive primary care.
Former Oilers player, coach and general manager Craig MacTavish talks to CTV News Edmonton's Matt Woodman about playoff hockey and Game 2 between Edmonton and Los Angeles.
Alberta Health Services issued a measles alert in Edmonton Wednesday after confirming a case.
Community members gathered at a Bedford, N.S., mosque for Ahmad Al Marrach — a 16-year-old murder victim — for his funeral on Wednesday.
A Cape Breton man won $1.5 million after buying $200-worth of Atlantic Lottery Scratch’N Win tickets.
New Brunswick RCMP says officers rescued three people from alleged human trafficking in Moncton, arresting an 18-year-old woman in the process.
A new fight is gearing up at city hall over Lemay Forest.
A Winnipeg Jets fan found a unique way to stand out amid the Winnipeg Whiteout; he wore a salmon-coloured shirt.
We feel good about ourselves and we feel we can go in there and win a game," Bowness said.
Beginning April 29, Dewdney Avenue between Albert Street and Broad Street will see a number of construction sites.
It was a powerful morning at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre Wednesday, where the Lieutenant Governor hosted the annual Saskatchewan Prayer Breakfast and a provincial doctor told his story of survival from a deadly heart condition.
A throwing star and crossbow were among the seizures by police as part of a drug trafficking investigation on George Gordon First Nation and in Punnichy, Sask. last week.
A Waterloo man needed to be taken away by air ambulance following a crash on King Street.
A Waterloo, Ont. teacher says she’s frustrated after learning the arthritis medication she depends on is no longer covered under her benefits plan and she'll have to switch pharmacies to avoid paying out of pocket.
Students will soon have another late night travel option in Waterloo's university district.
Darlene Hartshorn is a mother and grandmother from Warman who is making a difference by helping those who need a hand up.
A Saskatchewan woman who was taken for an involuntary mental health assessment is entitled to find out who had her committed, a provincial court judge has ruled.
International aircraft giant Boeing has made a multi-million dollar commitment to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT) to help address shortages in the aviation industry.
The federal government says new capital gains tax changes will only affect the rich, but some realtors say they are hearing from 'middle-class' cottage owners who worry they may have to sell before the rules come into effect on June 25.
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
In the midst of a homelessness crisis, an influx of asylum seekers is putting additional pressure on London, Ont.’s limited number of permanent shelter beds.
Nine years after a London, Ont. man was shot to death in a botched robbery at his home, the man responsible for the shooting was given a prison sentence on Wednesday.
Frustrated employees of Wescast’s shuttered auto parts manufacturer in Wingham, Ont. will be sending a message to their former ownership on Thursday.
Reports indicate Honda is retooling its assembly plant in Alliston to produce fully electric vehicles.
Instructors from the United Kingdom College of Policing brought the victim support instructors to Barrie.
Police were called to investigate a theft from a business on Simpson Road in Bolton.
A Windsor man convicted in a violent murder 20 years ago was successful in his ‘faint hope’ bid for an early chance at freedom after a jury agreed he should be given the chance to apply for early parole eligibility.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
A Kingsville, Ont. brewer is dedicating sales of a special beer this month in honour of his late mother.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
Crown counsel was unable to approve "significant" drug and weapons charges stemming from an arrest in Quesnel, B.C., last year because the officers involved "refused to provide any evidence," according to a report from the province’s police watchdog.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
It’s not even May 1 and the fire risk for southern Alberta is already alarming.
Whoop-Up Days is still four months away, but applications to be in this year’s parade are now open.
Lethbridge has added 28 physicians over the past year, according to a quarterly report published by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
Some members of the Garden River First Nation are demanding answers regarding the disbursement of the Robinson-Huron Treaty settlement funds.
The Ontario Provincial Police, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, have charged a suspect with murder following a homicide in a remote northwestern Ontario community.
A 15-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie has been charged following an incident on Bay Street on Tuesday.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Uber Technologies Inc. says it has brought its ridesharing platform to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.
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