State birefs 2/16

Hawaii House passes watered-down shield law

HONOLULU — The state House of Representatives has passed a new shield law that offers fewer protections to journalists in Hawaii.

Hawaii’s current shield law protects journalists from disclosing their sources or unpublished notes with few exceptions. One exception is when there is strong evidence the information is necessary to investigate or try felony or defamation cases.

The proposal that passed the House Thursday expands the exceptions to potential felonies, serious violent crimes or any civil case.

Rep. Gene Ward says the bill was originally written to simply extend the shield law and the amendments strip important protections for journalists.

The state Senate will consider the bill next.

The law already in place has been supported by media organizations in previous sessions, including the Society of Professional Journalists and The Associated Press.

UHERO: DC politics will weigh on Hawaii economy

HONOLULU — An economic forecast by the University of Hawaii says Washington haggling over federal spending will weigh on Hawaii’s economy in the short and long term.

The university’s Economic Research Organization said in a forecast released Friday that automatic spending cuts set to kick in March 1 are unlikely to occur but represent just the start of several hurdles.

A budget resolution expires at the end of March, threatening all non-essential government operations. A debt ceiling deadline is in May.

Forecasters say brinksmanship will continue to weigh on Hawaii’s economy even as the private sector shows promise.

The report says that long-term, a need to cut federal spending will be a drag on Hawaii’s economy for many years.

But the state will benefit from the military’s strategic turn toward the Asia-Pacific region.

Hawaii’s large military presence represents 9.6 percent of the state’s gross domestic product, the highest share for any state in the country, the report said.

“The sequesters represent a significant threat,” forecasters said in the report. “Still, it is possible to overstate the potential impact.”

The military already has a freeze on civilian hiring and salaries to troops are protected from sequestration, the report said. And, unless they’re avoided, automatic spending cuts would include equal reductions in non-defense spending.

UHERO said in its report it expects tourism to increase this year, then grow more slowly in 2014 and 2015.

Hawaii’s overall gross domestic product is expected to increase 3.5 percent in 2013, 4.1 percent in 2014 and 3.6 percent in 2015.

City Council tackles Honolulu’s homeless camps

HONOLULU — Honolulu’s City Council is renewing efforts to rid the city sidewalks of illegal tent encampments.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that the City Council has introduced two new bills aimed at getting the tent cities for the homeless off city sidewalks.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is opposed to the bills. The organization says it is prepared to testify against them when they are up for discussion next Wednesday, and will go to federal court if necessary to block the bills. ACLU Hawaii attorney Daniel Gluck says the bills are unconstitutional.

New jobless claims increase last week

HONOLULU — State labor officials report that new jobless claims are down in Hawaii compared to the same time last year, but up when taking the short-view.

Hawaii News Now (https://is.gd/X62WGA) says according to the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations there were 1,881 new jobless claims last week. That is down about 7 percent compared to the same time last year, but an increase of about 200 from a week ago.

Labor officials say new claims rose on Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and in all three Oahu unemployment offices, but fell on the Big Island. The total number of jobless claims in Hawaii, when adding up old and new claims, is nearly 12,000.