The Hawaii State Legislature today voted to approve the State Budget for the upcoming FY2014-2015. The budget, which provides $6.189 billion in general funds and $12.147 billion in all means of financing, was characterized by House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke as measured and prudent.
“As mentioned
throughout this session, we’ve had to deal with a changing financial landscape
that clearly suggested a more measured and prudent approach to spending,
especially when we looked at our long-term obligations,” said Sylvia Luke (Makiki,
Punchbowl, Nuuanu, Dowsett Highlands, Pacific Heights, Pauoa), House Finance Chair and one of the budget’s chief architects. “I think
we’ve done that while meeting the immediate needs of our people, including
taking care of lowest wage earners, our kupuna and our keiki.”
“We’ve
also continued to recapitalize our budget reserves with at least $200 million
this year, and maintained significant financial contributions
toward reducing our unfunded liabilities.”
HB1700 appropriates
funds for operating and capital improvement costs of the Executive Branch for
the second half of the current biennium, FY2014-2015, including $10 million in
Grant-in-Aid (GIA) for nonprofit organizations who provide community services and
over $2.3 billion in G.O. bond funding for capital improvement projects (CIP), including
monies for the new Kona Judiciary Building and the University of Hawaii at Hilo
School of Pharmacy.
"I
think part of the challenges that our finance chairs faced this year was the
misconception that we had a huge projected surplus to dole out. And the plain
fact is that was just not true, as the State Council on Revenues verified in
its last quarterly report,” said House Speaker Joseph M. Souki (Kahakuloa,
Waihee, Waiehu, Puuohala, Wailuku, Waikapu).
This
January, there was an $844 million dollar surplus balance in the state coffers.
But in March, the Council on Revenues reduced revenue projections for the
current and next fiscal bienniums—amounting to $189.5 million less in
FY2013-2014 and $491.8 million less in FY2014-2015.
“Despite
flatter than expected projections, I think we were still able to provide for
the most pressing needs of families, our schools, our seniors, the environment
and our economy,” Souki said. “At the end of the day, we ended on the positive
side of the ledger in both expenditures and taking care of our long term
obligations.”
Other funding
highlights include:
Agriculture
·
Added four
environmental health specialist positions and $96,309 for the pesticides branch
·
Added $400,000
in revolving funds for operating and equipment costs for the pesticides branch
Accounting and General Services
·
Added $87,071
for three positions for school repair and maintenance on neighbor islands
Attorney General
·
Added $452,330
for six positions for delinquent tax collection
·
Added $31,568 in
general funds for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
Business, Economic Development, and Tourism
·
Added $250,000
for the Beijing and Taipei state offices in strategic marketing and support
·
Added $50,000
for establishing and fostering sister-state relationships
·
Added $100,000
for the Creative Lab Accelerator Program
·
Added $160,000
for aerospace industry development and a commercial spaceport license
application
Defense
·
$227,200 in
federal funds for the Homeland Security Office to coordinate security planning
and preparedness activities with all agencies
Charter Schools
·
$134,802 for charter school per-pupil
allotment
·
$800,000 in general funds and $2 million
in federal funds for the Charter School Commission operating and administration
costs
Education
·
$2 million to support school athletic
activities
·
$15 million for the weighted student
formula, which are funds that are distributed to schools based on enrollment
and are spent at the principals’ discretion
·
$3 million in general funds for a pre-kindergarten
program, which will be coordinated by the DOE and the Executive Office on Early
Learning in the Office of the Governor
·
$1.925 million for the Strive HI
performance system, which supports the lowest-performing 15% of schools
·
$600,000 for an educator evaluation
system to measure teacher effectiveness
·
$256,000 in general funds to implement a
mentoring program for new teachers
·
$200,000 in general funds for a contract
with Teach for America
·
$9,000,000 to cover the shortfall in
utility costs
·
$592,000 in general funds for sabbatical
leave for teachers
Public
Libraries
·
$685,000 for electricity budget
shortfall in libraries statewide.
·
$200,000 to increase security services
at libraries statewide.
·
$600,000 to maintain computers and other
technological services offered by Hawaii State Public Libraries System to
patrons.
Human Services
·
A total of $8.5
million to increase foster care funding
·
$500,000 for the
Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, and Health Initiative (REACH)
program to provide a framework for intermediate school after-school programs
·
$1.5 million to continue
the Housing First homeless initiative program
Health
·
$1,183,384 in
general funds for the home- and community-based services waiver program
administered by the department's Developmental Disabilities Division
·
$750,000 in
general funds for statewide health information exchange infrastructure
advancement and to support health information technology priorities
·
$2 million for
the Hilo Medical Center Primary Care Residency Program
·
$185,000 in
special funds for the replacement of motor vehicles at various community mental
health centers
Land and Natural Resources
·
$650,000 in
special funds for watershed protection
·
$1.3 million in
special funds for information management system upgrade in the Public Land
Management division
·
$500,000 in
special funds for Kauai fire mitigation and reforestation in the Forestry
Resources Management and Development division
·
$577,000 in
general funds for personal services, operating expenses, and equipment in the
Conservation and Resource Enforcement division officers
Public Safety
·
Added ten adult
corrections officers, and $259,930 in general funds for 24-hour Halawa
Correctional Facility suicide watch posts
·
Added six adult
corrections officers, and $155,958 in general funds for 24-hour Oahu Community
Correctional Center suicide watch posts
·
Added twenty
positions and $786,718 in general funds for mental health services in
correctional centers
Transportation
·
$835,000 in
special funds for security services at Honolulu International Airport
·
$6,000,000 in
special funds for routine maintenance of the baggage handling and explosives
detection system at the Honolulu International Airport and Kahului Airport
·
$4,000,000 in
special funds for pavement-marking rehabilitation at eight airports
·
$7,359,000 in special funds to purchase additional
Wiki Wiki buses to accommodate international passengers waiting to be
transported to the United States Customs and Border Protection at Honolulu
International Airport
·
A total of $1.4 million for a state-wide
airports safety management program
·
$3,000,000 in
special funds to establish a national pollutant discharge elimination system
and municipal separate storm water system permit for Maui District
·
$1,500,000 in special funds for Honolulu
Harbor and Kalaeloa Harbor to expand the storm drain cleaning and pollution
control program on Oahu and another $1,300,000 in special funds for other
expenses that may be incurred under the federal Clean Water Act
University
of Hawaii
·
$600,000 for a Model Indigenous Serving
University to be expended on programs that would help native Hawaiian students
succeed in they have not traditionally been successful in
·
A total of $4 million for 89 campus
operation and growth positions at the newly constructed University of
Hawaii-West Oahu campus
·
A total of $33.5 million to accommodate
salary restorations and increases for University of Hawaii faculty members.
Includes $14 million in special funds for salary restorations and $19.5 million
in general funds for salary increases
·
Increase of the special fund ceiling by
nearly $46 million to support UH-Manoa campus operations and programs
·
Addition of 50 positions to support UH
community colleges operations
·
$9,350,000 in special funds for various
programs in University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine
Capital
Improvement Projects
·
Reauthorization
of $399,000,000 of general obligation bonds to recapitalize the educational
facilities improvement fund
·
Nearly $700
million in total biennium appropriations for the Department of Education to
address school improvements, upgrades, and renovations
·
Over $110
million to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation for critical repairs and
upgrades to the state hospital system
·
$390 million to
address campus facilities and programs at the University of Hawaii, of which
includes $100 million for capital renewal and deferred maintenance, and $57
million for health and safety projects for facilities
·
$33 million for
the construction of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University
of Hawaii-Hilo campus
·
$28.8 million
for the construction of the Allied Health and Administration building at the
University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus
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