Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor today to celebrate Carissa Moore’s Olympic Gold Medal win in surfing.  The senator also paid tribute to Duke Kahanamoku and his work to bring the sport of surfing to the Olympic Games, which made its debut as an official Olympic sport this year. “There’s a saying that the best surfer is the person having the most fun, and that’s unquestionably the case with Carissa. She has an...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced new legislation to improve road safety standards and make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. “For too long, transportation policy has been focused on how we can fit more cars on our roads, but that isn’t the only way people travel. My bill will make it safer for everyone to use our streets – whether it’s on foot or on a bike,” said Senator Schatz, Chairman of the Senate...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Veterans’ Disability Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that would increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans. “There’s no reason that we shouldn’t guarantee an annual cost-of-living...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i will receive more than $3 million in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan to help detect and prevent potential COVID-19 outbreaks among the state’s most vulnerable and high-risk communities – including people experiencing homelessness and prison populations. “As Hawai‘i experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, we can’t leave vulnerable...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) today introduced legislation to help communities plan for and recover from major disasters. The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act would strengthen the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) disaster recovery grants for states, local governments, and tribes. It would also improve coordination at the federal level...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act, new legislation to promote the use of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, through a refundable consumer tax credit. E-Bikes are increasingly being used as a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly transportation option for short trips and daily commutes that can help break the cycle of fossil fuel use. “We need to do everything we can to...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that 10 small rural hospitals in Hawai‘i – those with fewer than 50 beds and Critical Access Hospitals – will receive $2,583,760 in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. This funding will help these hospitals expand COVID-19 testing for people living in rural communities and tailor mitigation efforts to meet local needs – such as community education and workforce...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced the College Equity Act, a bill that would give colleges and universities funding to address disparities in higher education recruitment, admissions, and support. “There are schools where veterans, people of color, and people with disabilities are able to thrive, and others where they struggle. The difference often comes down to schools knowing the challenges that exist for students and doing something to help,”...

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that two Early Head Start and Head Start Programs in Hawai‘i will receive nearly $3 million in new federal funding through the American Rescue Plan. The funding — provided to Parents and Children Together and the Honolulu Community Action Program — will be vital to helping these programs recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including by making up for lost learning time and building back to fully...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, partnering with the counties of Hawai‘i, Kauai, and Maui, will receive $5.15 million in new federal funding to purchase battery electric buses and charging infrastructure for each of the counties. “Electric buses make our air cleaner, our roads quieter, and reduce the operating costs of our public transit,” said Senator Schatz, Chairman of the...

HONOLULU – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the University of Hawai‘i (UH) will be awarded $2,419,814 over two years from the National Science Foundation. This new funding will help UH launch a new STEM learning project that seeks to connect Native Hawaiian youth ages 12-17 and their family members to STEM by channeling their cultural relationship to the environment. “This project will give Native Hawaiian students the chance connect with the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced legislation to expand services for community college students and help them graduate. The Community College Student Success Act would fund programs at community colleges to support students by providing comprehensive wrap around services, including free tutoring, textbooks, and transportation. “Our bill gives community college students the tools they need to earn a degree and find a...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for more information on when and how the agencies will update their travel guidance for vaccinated people. “As there has not yet been any change in the requirement for masks while traveling, we request an update on the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, introduced the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization. This bipartisan legislation builds on successful Native American housing programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), including the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant and Indian...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems (NHHCS) and Papa Ola Lokahi, which coordinates health care programs and services for Native Hawaiians, will receive a total of $18.2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – a $1.2 million increase from last year. This funding, provided through the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program, will help more Native Hawaiians get...

  WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i airports will receive more than $144 million in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March. The new funding will help support airports that have experienced severe economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. “Hawai‘i airport workers and the entire airline industry have taken a significant hit during this...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at the University of Hawai‘i has been awarded $320,535 for its telehealth pilot project. JABSOM’s telehealth project connects patients with health care providers through video visits and provides remote treatment for a range of conditions, including mental health, opioid dependency, chronic conditions, and maternal health. “JABSOM has put together...

WASHINGTON – After the COVID-19 pandemic impacted prisons across the country, infecting hundreds of thousands of people and causing thousands of deaths, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today reintroduced legislation that would accelerate the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) approval process for compassionate release during a public health emergency. Authorized under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which also eliminated parole for federal prisoners, compassionate release gives...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), John Thune (R-S.D.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced the Unsubscribe Act. The bipartisan bill would require companies to be more transparent about their subscription-based business model and make it easier for consumers to cancel their subscriptions once their free or reduced price trial period has ended. “The subscription-based business model is exploding, and it’s largely because of...

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will allocate an additional $14.2 million under the American Rescue Plan to provide emergency housing vouchers for over 700 people and families who are experiencing homelessness; at risk of experiencing homelessness; have recently experienced homelessness; or are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or...