Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), and 21 colleagues in reintroducing the Access to Birth Control Act, legislation that would guarantee patients’ timely access to birth control at pharmacies nationwide—including by addressing pharmacies’ refusals of contraception that...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) rainfall index insurance to include Hawaii, for the first time ever, beginning in 2025. The PRF insurance program protects livestock producers against...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and 14 colleagues in introducing historic, comprehensive bipartisan legislation that would boost federal research on menopause and would—for the first time—coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and 10 colleagues in introducing the Next Step Home Act, legislation aimed at restoring voting rights for individuals with felony convictions who have been released under the First Step Act and successfully reentered society. “Despite having served their...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Coons (D-DE) in urging the American Bar Association (ABA) to study the prevalence of legal history disclosure requirements in state bar admissions processes and their impact on survivors of domestic...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, today released the following statement after voting to pass the bipartisan national security funding package with aid for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, as well as humanitarian...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan and bicameral legislation led by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that would transition 10 temporary federal judgeships—including one in Hawaii—to permanent status in order to maintain the current level of access to the...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after voting against passage of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), legislation to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): “FISA 702, like all...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) in sending a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd J....

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed two amendments to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA) to protect the civil liberties of American citizens. “While there are legitimate national security needs for the FISA 702 program, it’s critical those needs are...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced the Honoring Veterans’ Legacies and Burial Benefits Enhancements Act to improve memorialization and burial benefits for veterans and their families. “At the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in...

~ Lawmakers: “Hospitals must act to protect Americans from the harm caused by partisan state AGs who have weaponized their legal authority against the transgender community.” ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and 41 members of Congress in sending a letter,...

~ On Tax Day 2024, Senators introduce bill to eliminate carried interest tax loophole and make wealthy fund managers pay what other American workers do ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and 10 colleagues in introducing the Carried Interest Fairness...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 37 of their colleagues in introducing legislation that would curtail judge shopping across the country by codifying the Judicial Conference’s recently-announced...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) marked National Library Week by introducing a resolution to recognize the importance of libraries and library staff in the U.S. The resolution commends the work of library staff across the country and recognizes the essential services that libraries and their staff provide to our...

~ Legislation would require Department of Defense to enact better blast overpressure screening, tracking, prevention, and treatment ~ WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Joni...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jim Risch (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Bill Haggerty (R-TN), in introducing a bipartisan resolution underscoring the strength and importance of the United States-Japan alliance. Introduced in advance of Japanese Prime Minister...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation to protect the rights of Americans in nursing homes. The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act prohibits long-term care facilities from requiring or soliciting residents to enter into pre-dispute, mandatory, binding arbitration...

HONOLULU, HI – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) spent the day in Hilo where she met with Lahainaluna students participating in the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, toured small businesses participating in this year’s 8th Hawaii on the Hill, and viewed the Puainako Paving Project at Waiakea Intermediate School. “During my visit to Hilo, I spent...

HONOLULU, HI – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced Senate passage of her bipartisan resolution designating April 2024 as “National Native Plant Month.” The resolution, which passed the Senate unanimously and was also led by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), recognizes the...