Working for a better economy, better governance and a better society
Consider repealing county’s discriminatory builder contracting law
Above, Jonathan Young, president of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Hawaii chapter, 2019 The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Honolulu City Council on June 3, 2020, 10:00 a.m. ___________________ Regular Meeting,...
Tear down Hawaii’s contractor licensing walls
Photo by Charley Myers It would lead to more people working in construction trades and making homes more plentiful and affordable. ##### By Mauloa Akina and Alex Duggan* (This article was originally published Dec. 12, 2019, in Honolulu Civil Beat.) Many reasons have...
How to improve Hawaii’s business climate
Two of Hawaii’s top business journalists, Steve Petranik, editor of Hawaii Business Magazine, and Kam Napier, editor-in-chief of the Pacific Business News, shared their insights about Hawaii’s business climate at a gathering on Friday, Oct. 23, sponsored by the...
Honolulu City Council’s PLA proposal is pilau
What happens when a government tries to fix a system that isn’t broken? Usually, the taxpayers pay the price. That is what might happen if Honolulu’s mayor approves a measure that would restrict the use of nonunion labor on city contracts worth over $2 million....
Council approves PLAs despite many concerns
This testimony by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii was submitted to the full Honolulu City Council on Oct. 9, 2019. It is similar to testimony submitted on July 24, except for a figure in the bill being increased from $250,000 to $1 million, then afterward to $2...
‘CWAs’ a recipe for disaster
Around the country, states and municipalities are changing their procurement regulations to allow for more competitive bidding. That’s a best practice that saves money on government projects. Hawaii, however, appears to be moving in the opposite direction. This week,...
Testimony on ‘Community Workforce Agreements’ — Bill 37
This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Honolulu City Council Committee on Budget, July 24, 2019. RE: Bill 37 (2019) — RELATING TO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENTS. [1] Aloha, Chair [Joey] Manahan, Vice Chair [Brandon] Elefante and...
‘Handyman exemption’ increase overdue
This article originally appeared July 5, 2019, in Civil Beat. A bill that could lower costs for home repairs for Hawaii homeowners apparently still has a chance of being enacted, having dodged Gov. David Ige’s list of bills he intends to veto.[1] Senate Bill 767 was...
Hawaii occupational licensing laws ‘headed in wrong direction’
Grassroot Institute president urges removal of barriers to economic mobility
