Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted today for the Senate immigration reform bill that delivers big results for Hawaii and includes a number of measures that protect immigrant women and families. The U.S. Senate’s only immigrant, Hirono worked closely with colleagues to shape the bill in the Judiciary Committee and on the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement after the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $250 million in funding for Honolulu Authority For Rapid Transportation, matching in full President Obama’s 2014 budget request and the 2012 Full Funding Grant Agreement. The funding was included in both House...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced today she will accept a temporary seat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hirono was selected by her colleagues to fill the seat that became open after New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death. She will sit on the Committee until October. “Hawaii’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act: “This is a historic day for civil rights and marriage equality. I am heartened by the Supreme Court’s decision affirming...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement commemorating the 41st anniversary this week of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, commonly known as Title IX. This federal law protects students from gender discrimination in federally supported education programs and activities. The landmark...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement condemning the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, a key provision enabling the Department of Justice to protect minority voters: “The Voting Rights Act has been critical...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement after voting in support of cloture for Corker-Hoeven border security amendment to the Senate immigration bill. “I am deeply concerned with the huge spending increase in this border security measure, but I too understand that it is likely a necessary political...

Today’s Washington Post detailed how Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Senator Patty Murray and 11 of their female colleagues introduced an amendment that would make the Senate’s immigration bill fairer to women. The article reads...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Patty Murray joined their colleagues Lisa Murkowski, Barbara Boxer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maria Cantwell, Debbie Stabenow, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren ,Tammy Baldwin, Barbara Mikulski, Mary Landrieu and Jeanne Shaheen to introduce legislation that would make the Senate’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono introduced an amendment to the immigration bill that would fix components of the law that unfairly penalize immigrant taxpayers. Her amendment #1317 would allow immigrant taxpayers to access federal safety net programs they pay for with their taxes. The bill prohibits immigrant taxpayers from using...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today took to the Senate floor to highlight a major flaw in the immigration reform bill currently being debated in the Senate. In her remarks, Hirono pointed out how the new merit-based immigration system that gives preference to potential immigrants with high level education and technical expertise...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and her Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues drafted and voted late last week to pass the Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act out of committee and to the full Senate for consideration. The bill would provide more than $400 million in military construction projects in Hawaii, $44...

Washington, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono today released the following statement regarding the announced purchase of the Kapolei Tesoro refinery by Par Petroleum. Par Petroleum Corporation is a Houston-based company that intends to continue Tesoro’s refining, logistics and retail operations. “Today’s announcement that Par...

Washington, D.C. - Senator Mazie K. Hirono met this week with U.S. Secretary of Transportation nominee and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. During the meeting, Foxx and Hirono discussed the importance of Honolulu’s rail system, for which the city secured a full funding grant agreement in December 2012. Foxx, noting how important...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono today took to the Senate floor to highlight two major flaws in the immigration reform bill currently being debated in the Senate. In her remarks, Hirono pointed out how the new merit-based immigration system that gives preference to potential immigrants with high level education and technical...

In today’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the newspaper’s editorial board endorsed Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s measure in the immigration reform bill that would restore Medicaid eligibility for COFA migrants, saving the state millions each year. The editorial board also praised other amendments that Hirono convinced her colleagues to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono voted today during a meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee in support of a measure aimed at stopping and prosecuting sexual assaults in the military. The measure would give military prosecutors the power to decide which sexual assault cases to try, taking that power out of the hands of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement after voting for a Democratic proposal to keep student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1 and against a Republican plan that would saddle students with even more debt: Education isn’t just the clearest path to economic opportunity in this country; it’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hawaii’s congressional delegation introduced a bill today that would make important changes to the Native Hawaiian Education Act, an existing program that has improved educational opportunities for thousands of Native Hawaiian kids and families.  The changes would strengthen and help secure the program’s future...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Mazie K. Hirono, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement upon news that President Obama will appoint U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to be his next National Security Advisor: "Ambassador Susan Rice is a great choice to be President Obama's National Security Advisor. She has had a string...