Daniel K. Akaka

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Veterans Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka announced that Hawaii is expected to receive more than $365 million to fund infrastructure improvements to the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Schofield Barracks and Hickam Air Force Base.

The federal funds for Hawaii-related projects were approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

The full Senate passed the spending measure by a vote of 100 to 0. The bill still requires approval by the House of Representatives.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Senators Daniel Akaka, Jon Tester and Mark Begich held a press conference today to discuss legislation to improve health care services to America's veterans. A single Republican Senator is obstructing efforts to pass the bipartisan Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Among other things, the legislation will provide benefits to caregivers of severely injured veterans, expand health care services to women, improve mental care treatment, provide outreach to homeless veterans and enhance VA medical services.    » read more »

Veterans' Affairs Committee Leaders Suggest Improvements on GI Bill Processing

November 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) wrote Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to suggest ways to improve the processing of the post-9/11 GI Bill.

"Men and women at VA are working hard and working overtime to reduce the backlog of new GI Bill claims. This is a huge transition, and I hope our suggestions will help the Department speed up the process," said Akaka. "I want Secretary Shinseki to know that I am committed to helping him do whatever needs to be done - whether that be in resources or legislation."

The letter outlines potential improvements, including:    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Honolulu will receive $3,863,700 to fund energy efficient initiatives including the reduction of fossil fuel emissions, the creation of green jobs, and the implementation of practices that lessen overall energy use, Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka announced today.

The federal funds are made available to Honolulu through the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) award.

The grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

Senator Akaka impressed with Silo House entry in "Solar Decathlon"

October 30, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Three Hawaii high school graduates were part of a Cornell University team which designed, built, and operated a unique environmentally friendly home entered in the 2009 Solar Decathlon, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that brings 20 college and university teams to the nation's capitol for a competition to create the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka visited the students and toured the home, which was transported from Ithaca, New York and placed on the National Mall for the duration of the contest.    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) today introduced the Mutual Fund Transparency Act of 2009 to require the disclosure of mutual fund fees and costs, strengthen the independence and governance of mutual fund boards, and impose a fiduciary duty on all investment advisors.

"Working families rely on mutual fund investments to pay for their children's education, prepare for retirement, and attain other goals," Senator Akaka said. "My legislation will ensure that investors are provided with meaningful information such as hidden broker commissions and average fees for comparable transactions to help them make informed financial decisions. It would also require the SEC to study ways to improve the financial literacy of mutual fund investors."    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, President Barack Obama signed into law the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference agreement, which included Senator Daniel K. Akaka's Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance (AREA) Act to replace COLA with locality pay for Federal workers in Hawaii, Alaska, and the Territories.

COLA rates will be frozen as of today's date, and the transition to locality pay will start in January 2010. Senator Akaka plans to set up information sessions on implementation for federal employees in Hawaii.    » read more »

October 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Honolulu will receive $5,347,598 to upgrade its electrical grid as part of an effort to reduce outage times, expand the energy efficient skill sets of employees, and retain jobs Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka announced today.

"We've all experienced the chaos created by power outages, both big and small, and these funds will help modernize Oahu's aging electrical grid," said Senator Inouye. "These improvements should move us closer to a time when we aren't sitting in the dark very long when the grid goes down."

"This Recovery Act funding will allow Hawaiian Electric to invest in modern electrical grid improvements that will reduce power outages on Oahu while preserving jobs," said Senator Akaka.    » read more »

October 27, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) today introduced the Strengthening the Oversight of Nuclear Nonproliferation (SOONN) Act of 2009 to further U.S. and international efforts to prevent the spread of dangerous nuclear materials.

Senator Akaka said: "Nuclear weapon proliferation is among the most critical threats to international security today. This bill will support improvements to U.S. and international efforts to confront this threat."

The SOONN Act calls for a recurring annual report on U.S. nonproliferation activities. This report will detail:

* U.S. spending in support of civilian nuclear programs abroad,
* reductions in the use of highly enriched uranium,    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Efforts to mitigate flooding in Hawaii and further harness the power of the sun, wind, water and earth to create sustainable energy alternatives to imported oil will receive more than $29 million, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka announced today.

The full Senate voted 80 to 17 to approve the spending bill, with Senator Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka supporting the measure.    » read more »

Additional $12 million will help reduce energy use and carbon pollution, improve energy efficiency, and create green jobs

October 13, 2009 -- (The Following Was Released By The Department Of Energy):

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced that Hawaii has received all of the State Energy Program funding allocated to the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Department of Energy delivered an additional $12 million to the state, which has now received a total of $25 million through the State Energy Program to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state, while creating jobs and reducing carbon pollution.    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Hawaii will receive $34,010,000 for agriculture initiatives this fiscal year including funds to eradicate fruit flies, improve the plight of geographically disadvantaged farmers and expand research, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka announced today.

The Senate approved the Conference Report for the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill by a vote of 76 to 22. It will now go to the President for his expected signature.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - The final conference agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA) released today contains important Federal workforce provisions, including the Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act (S. 507), sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Akaka and cosponsored by Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), which would provide fairness in retirement pay for the roughly 50,000 Federal workers in Hawai‘i, Alaska, and the Territories.

After sponsoring the original legislation, Senator Akaka spoke in support of the provision on the Senate floor and advocated for it during the Armed Services Committee conference.    » read more »

Bill would assist veterans, young and old, as well as their survivors

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tonight, the Senate unanimously approved legislation designed to enhance a number of benefits for veterans and their families, including compensation, housing, employment, education, burial, and insurance benefits.

One key provision of the legislation would provide for retroactive payments to those servicemembers who suffered traumatic injury while on active duty on or between October 7, 2001, and November 30, 2005. Previously, this benefit was only available to servicemembers who suffered a traumatic injury in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom theaters of operation during that time period.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - The final conference agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA) released today contains important Federal workforce provisions, including the Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act (S. 507), sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Akaka and cosponsored by Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawai'i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), which would provide fairness in retirement pay for the roughly 50,000 Federal workers in Hawai'i, Alaska, and the Territories.

After sponsoring the original legislation, Senator Akaka spoke in support of the provision on the Senate floor and advocated for it during the Armed Services Committee conference.    » read more »