Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with her colleague Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced their plan to introduce the Learning Opportunity and Achievement Act (LOAA), which would improve distance and blended learning in our public schools during the coronavirus pandemic. LOAA combats instructional loss,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA), sweeping...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, legislation that repeals the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.  Originally part of four laws known as the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Alien Enemies Act is only one of the four...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that Hawaii County will receive $1,494,360 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of a grant agreement based on losses at Isaac Hale Beach Park due to the 2018 Kilauea eruption. The funding will utilized for park related infrastructure to assist with Puna’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), along with her colleagues Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), introduced the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act, legislation that will...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) introduced the COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act, legislation directing a study of the “infodemic” of COVID-19-related disinformation and misinformation that has impacted the effectiveness of the response to this...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono issued the following statement announcing her opposition to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the United States Supreme Court: “I will not support the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the following reasons: “She will vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act after...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced the University of Hawaii (UH) has been awarded nearly $13.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to develop workforce training programs focused on high-paying, in-demand jobs within the health care, technology, and skilled trades industries. The funding, created by...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, supported passage of the Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act, which includes her Veteran Home Loan Disaster Recovery Act. The bill was approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee yesterday. Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) wrote to Governor David Ige earlier this week asking that he detail how he will spend down the $321 million that the state received from the federal government and has not yet allocated to any purpose, which may have to be returned to the U.S. Treasury. In her letter, the Senator noted...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a giant. There are literally not enough words to describe the transformational impact she had on the lives of millions of Americans as an advocate and a jurist. “I...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, legislation that addresses sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military by removing decisions about prosecuting those cases from the chain of command, establishing independent investigators outside of the chain of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that Hawaii will receive an additional allocation of more than $10 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG-CV) to provide critical assistance for the community as it continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. These CDBG-CV funds are the third round of CDBG...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Ed Case wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting he immediately reverse changes that have led to service delays for Hawaii mail, and suspend further changes to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) operations until there is no longer a...

Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Ed Case wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to extend child nutrition waivers to assist schools and community organizations in feeding students during the coming school year. Following nationwide school closures earlier this...

HONOLULU – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a bicameral letter led by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Representatives Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) calling for the Office of Child Care (OCC) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) along with Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma requesting CMS make all recommended vaccines accessible to Medicare...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and other colleagues introduced the Coronavirus Language Access Act, which expands access to coronavirus-related resources by increasing language access services and supporting culturally appropriate COVID-19 response programs to help older...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced that the University of Hawaii will receive $1.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to expand education programs focused on food, agriculture, and natural resources. This funding is part...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined a letter led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and signed by 32 of their colleagues calling for President Trump to restore full federal funding in states where the National Guard has been deployed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Without explanation, last week President Trump...