The Senate Ways and Means committee unanimously approved House Bill 679 Senate Draft 2 and House Bill 2610 Senate Draft 2, to allocate funding to address ongoing and escalating costs to non-congregate sheltering, development of temporary and permanent housing, and other needs.
“The State needs to be better prepared for wildfires,” said Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. “Our Committee believes these forward thinking bills make sure we are not as susceptible to another catastrophic wildfire, and that we stand ready to efficiently and strategically respond if we find ourselves facing fire again.”
Brandy Nālani McDougall, a graduate of the UO’s Creative Writing Program, has been selected as the 2023-25 Hawaii state poet laureate.McDougall is an associate professor of indigenous studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and director of the M