Small Business

...Grassroot’s 25th Anniversary Gala last week celebrated with nearly 400 supporters, staff and their family and friends who connect with our mission....

...The County of Hawaiʻi Department of Environmental Management will host public hearings Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 on a proposed increase in solid waste disposal fees....

... People and businesses renting out rooms, houses, condos, or similar shelter to transients for fewer than 180 consecutive days, whether hosted, unhosted, or in the person's home, are required to register their TVR with the County. ...

... 25 years ago Hawaii needed a champion for the free market and individual rights ....

...Given these policies, why would any right-thinking entrepreneur, or growing business, locate in Hawaii? And how did the Wall Street Journal miss this?....

... Jason K White most recently served as a Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in Hawaiʻi and previously held several leadership positions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including serving as a Unit Chief at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C ....

...more than 300 acres of state-owned lands in the Waiākea area of Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island....

...Twenty-two states have gone to court to block the Trump administration from accessing a database containing the personal information of roughly 17 million commercial drivers....

... If you or a loved one is still waiting in long lines for dialysis, you can blame embattled former state Rep. Ryan Yamane ....

... so far only about 220 houses have been restored, and the status of non-residential rebuilds is even more bleak ....

... A new Hawaii law reclassifies corporate political speech as a "power" the state can revoke at will ....

" ... she sued in federal court for imposing excessive fines in violation of the Eighth Amendment .... "

... Hawaii’s business climate is getting worse, not better ....

...With the signing of SB 3025, Hawaii joins a growing roster of 27 cities and states utilizing nonprofit partnerships to purchase and forgive health care debt portfolios....

... two measures proposed by Grassroot to advance agricultural development in Hawaii have become law ....

... Sylvia Luke pops up at the end of this CNBC video ....

... It’s important to understand who these signs actually affect ....

... up to four weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave during any calendar year ....

"Priority Review, a new program that rewards applicants who use DPP’s AI-guided software, CivCheck"

“...The SBRRB gives small businesses a voice when rules and regulations are being developed or reviewed....”

... A new Hawaii law intended to curtail political spending by corporations and other wealthy entities won’t achieve its goal and will ultimately suppress the right to free speech of even the people who supported it ....

...to merely braid hair, Kaiulani was supposed to first spend at least $17,000 and undergo at least 1,250 hours of training....

... Grassroot produced 16 model bills, five of which were adopted ....

... it is too early say whether sea gliders will be be financially viable ....

...A dispensary owner believes Hawaii’s hemp regulations are unconstitutional. He’s suing to stop their enforcement, but the law may not be on his side....

...Businesses that continue to operate in violation of Hawaiʻi law may be subject to escalated enforcement, including actions that can result in the closure of retail locations....

...the department will use every available enforcement tool—including withholding administrative funds from states for the first time in history—to ensure compliance....

“...Should (the Hawaii Supreme Court) ultimately reverse the lower court ruling and recognize that at least certain animals are legal persons entitled to assert their fundamental interests in court, it will be the first court in the nation to do so….”

... three bills that could help ....

...Onerous restrictions unnecessarily prohibited commercial fishing within areas of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, removing job opportunities for American workers....

"...Eligibility standards for businesses owned by Native Hawaiian Organizations remain unchanged...."

...Senate Bill 3125, Our Big Tax Bill (which is still a lot smaller than the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act) was signed into law on May 21 and became Act 24, what I am calling the One Big Tax Bill Act or OBTBA....

... seagliders are being investigated as a possible mode of interisland transportation ....

... Hawaii becomes the 4th blue state this year to raise their highest income tax rate ....

...Hawaii’s program is set to launch this year....

... what is going to happen to the renewable energy technologies credit ....

... net employment gain of 1,530 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2025 ....

... Green now has until July 11 to determine whether he will sign ....

"SNAP sales rose by more than $23,000—from $314,416 in 2024 to $339,810 in 2025—while transactions increased by 1,689"

... CLUE: Lawsuit next ....

... visitor spending and real estate investment to defense contracting, prefabricated housing, education and captive insurance ....

... “Unlicensed properties are not currently on our agenda for discussion” ....

...$22.2 billion in delinquent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans that were previously flagged for suspected fraud during the Biden Administration but never sent to Treasury for collection nor referred to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigation....

...“unauthorized payments totaling approximately $647,061.09 ... via 22 checks from Makaha Surfside and/or Lalawai Hale and/or lolani Regent and/or Palehua Gardens and/or 1040 Kinau”....

... SB2876: a bill on the verge of final approval that would actually move regulations on local entrepreneurs in the right direction ....

... along with $1,409,964.35 in restitution to the Small Business Administration ....

... WalletHub compared startup opportunities across 100 U.S. cities ....

... DHS has received federal approval for a temporary waiver allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households to purchase hot foods using their benefits at authorized retailers statewide, from April 17 through May 16, 2026 ....

...Charges were filed in Hawaiʻi County by the Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division March 25, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the Third Circuit....

... the report authors praised Democratic Hawaii lawmakers for reducing some taxes he said would ease the cost of living.  Too bad the Legislature is about to reverse this ....