Latest news with #HouseBill1005
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Woman, 30, is sixth to die from Aliamanu fireworks
A sixth person died Wednesday morning after suffering critical injuries at an Aliamanu New Year's party when a stockpile of illegal aerial fireworks detonated at 12 :01 a.m. in an explosion that also injured dozens. At about 5 :59 a.m. Wednesday, the 30-year-old woman. She is the 'sixth death in this incident, ' according to Honolulu police, and has not been identified. The woman died the same day state on several proposals designed to help law enforcement combat the proliferation of illegal aerial fireworks. Gov. Josh Green proposes issuing $300 citations to those caught with illegal fireworks and felony charges for fireworks incidents that lead to injuries or death. House Bill 1005 and Senate Bill 1324 would make selling illegal fireworks that injure or kill someone a Class B felony with up to 10 years in prison and a $10, 000 fine. The bills also call for enhanced penalties and new legal language aimed at easing 'the standard of proof ' to allow citations and make enforcement easier. A bill before the state Senate, Senate Bill 999, would repeal 'all permissible uses of consumer fireworks ' and make conforming amendments to the Fireworks Control Law. The measure establishes $500 civil penalties for the 'use and sale of consumer fireworks, ' including nuisance abatement proceedings and forfeiture of assets used in the commission of the illegal use or sale of consumer fireworks. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The bill would set up a Firework Forfeiture Special Fund to deposit 'asset forfeiture proceeds ' and to provide for community 'safety education ' programs that would ban all consumer fireworks by prohibiting their sale and use. State lawmakers banned all aerial fireworks in 2000, except for official public displays. The Honolulu City Council banned all fireworks except for firecrackers in 2011. On Friday afternoon, after they allegedly let their minor children set off illegal fireworks at the Aliamanu house party. A total of 10 people have now been arrested in connection with the deadliest fireworks explosion in Hawaii since April 7, 2011. In that incident, and two were injured after a fire ignited confiscated illegal aerial fireworks in an underground former military munitions bunker in Waikele. Demi Alyssa Mendoza, 31, and Dao Rin, 32, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and three fireworks offenses. The couple allegedly allowed their 9-and 11-year-old children to play with illegal fireworks, according to Honolulu police. Michael Jr. Reyes Cabato, 29, and Aidalys Britanee P. Pe Benito, 28, the parents of a 1-year-old, were also arrested. Cabato was arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor and three fireworks offenses, and the 28-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor. None of the children of Friday were wounded in the deadly blast. A 'cake ' filled with about 50 individual cartridges of aerial fireworks fell on its side and shot into two crates of fireworks, setting off a large explosion at about 12 :01 a.m. Jan. 1 that was recorded by eyewitnesses and drones, shared online and broadcast on television. More arrests, charges and a joint investigation with federal law enforcement agencies into the source of the illegal fireworks are ongoing. The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be among the federal agencies assisting HPD, police have said. Investigators seized more than 500 pounds of unexploded illegal fireworks from cars belonging to guests attending the party and in the carport of the home where the blast occurred at 4144 Keaka Drive. Four people arrested on Jan. 29 were released pending investigation.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Housing fund to get an additional $25M under bill
Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, speaks about housing before a committee on Jan. 27, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) House committee members on Monday voted to add an additional $25 million to a revolving loan fund designed to incentivize housing construction. In particular, House Bill 1005 prioritizes funding for rural communities with density-friendly rules, such as multifamily units, and allows the funds to be used for infrastructure improvements. A homebuilder himself, Rep. Doug Miller said $82 million from the first two rounds of funding had supported the construction of roughly 3,350 units of housing. 'If you look in the context of the total permits on an annual basis for the state of Indiana, those are impressive numbers to bring housing stock to our communities,' said the Elkhart Republican. Indiana awards communities $51 million in housing infrastructure boost An additional component of the bill would allow builders to use 'private providers' if a municipality cannot accommodate an inspection request within ten days. Inspections could instead be performed by licensed architects, licensed engineers, certified building officials or certified home inspectors. 'The goal here is to try and take the burden off of (local units of government) without sacrificing quality or effectiveness,' Miller said. Using a private provider would likely be more expensive, however, since government-employed inspectors have more legal protections than private inspectors. Seven other states allow private providers to perform inspections, Miller added. The provision would be optional, Miller said, and communities were free to supply homebuilders with approved lists of private providers. The language about these inspectors gave some pause, including Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, which testified as neutral on the bill. That group testifies on behalf of Indiana cities and towns. West Lafayette Democrat Rep. Chris Campbell was the sole 'no' vote due to this provision but said she was open to changing her vote on the House floor. Seven other groups testified in favor of the bill, including the state home builder association, architects and medical device manufacturers. Maggie Shane, on behalf of the Indiana Association of Realtors, reported that the median home price in Indiana had grown to $244,000 while new builds cost closer to $379,000. 'Those are astounding — astonishing, I would say — numbers when it comes to thinking about how attainable is homeownership and will that continue to be the American dream,' Shane said. 'New, single-home construction demand is such that we anticipate between now and 2028 a demand for 143,000 new single-family homes. That is 30% more than the rate we're at right now.' The bill advanced on an 11-1 vote and will now be heard before the Ways and Means Committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
