A freshman legislator saw four of his bills addressing abandoned vehicles pass the 2022 Hawaii Legislature. Here’s how he did it.

Bills establishing ranked-choice voting, a chief data officer, retirement programs and free copying of public records passed or are set to pass this week.

Nebraska is the only state to have one, and it has cut costs, improved efficiency and reduced partisanship.

A commission formed to improve standards of conduct of state government has made recommendations, but ultimately Hawaii lawmakers must take the lead.

It’s a technology that has been in use for over 100 years.

It’s not enough for the leaders of the House and Senate, with little deliberation, to simply declare that something is not a conflict.

There are many things the Legislature can do to bring far greater transparency and accountability to a sometimes shady political industry.

We should not allow our valuable geographic origin names to be used to market products as something they are not.

The practice of introducing bills anonymously “by request of another party” is a disservice to the public and to lawmakers themselves. What is there to hide?

A commission formed to improve standards of conduct of state government has made recommendations, but ultimately Hawaii lawmakers must take the lead.

It’s a technology that has been in use for over 100 years.

It’s not enough for the leaders of the House and Senate, with little deliberation, to simply declare that something is not a conflict.

There are many things the Legislature can do to bring far greater transparency and accountability to a sometimes shady political industry.

We should not allow our valuable geographic origin names to be used to market products as something they are not.

The practice of introducing bills anonymously “by request of another party” is a disservice to the public and to lawmakers themselves. What is there to hide?

Some bills before the Legislature would help — for instance, by reducing copying fees. Others are bad ideas that would blow holes in the public’s right to know.

The Legislature is considering redacting dollar amount ranges from public view because some think that could attract more and better applicants.

A cohesive relationship between the top two executive offices would bolster the effectiveness and productivity of state government.