Conference Committee Continue Negotiations on State Budget

House and Senate conferees met today to continue negotiations on a final version of HB500, the state budget bill. The conferees opened discussion on the state budget earlier this week on Tuesday, April 21st. They will continue meeting to iron out the differences between the two versions through May 1, the deadline for all fiscal bills to pass out of conference committee.

A final conference draft will then be voted upon by the Legislature and, if approved, will be sent to the Governor for his signature.

At today’s meeting, the committees highlighted several additional budget items upon which there was agreement in the House and Senate budget drafts.

• $5,123,726 FY16 for the Department of Education school food service programs
• $102,846 FY16 and $213,978 FY17 for 4 Vector Control Worker positions for increased surveillance at state ports
• $545,030 FY16 and $545,030 FY17 for licensing and case management activities for adult foster family care homes and adult day care facilities
• $217,033 FY16 and $270,747 FY17 special funds for 2 positions for the Historic Preservation Division
• $47,000 FY16 and $94,000 FY17 for two Program Specialists for homeless services
• $10,000 special funds, in each year, for the Office of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Special Fund
• $27,000, in each year, for replacement body armor for deputy sheriffs.
• $545,600 FY16 and $545,600 FY17 in revolving funds for the Department of Agriculture to replace motor vehicles
• $101,642 FY16 and $206,787 FY17 for 3 Retirement Claims Examiners to manage increased workload
• $49,190 FY16 and $95,000 FY17 for one Office of Homeland Security Administrator position
• $300,000, in each year, for 2 temporary positions for the Governor’s Office of Military Affairs and Grant Maximization
• A total of $170,611, in each year, for 2 Adult Protective Services Specialists and 1 Social Services Aid for adult protective and community services
• $200,000, in each year, for the in-service training and program effectiveness project for state employees
• $34,836, in each year, for 1 Medical Security Officer for the Hawaii State Hospital
• $400,000 FY16 and $250,000 FY17 special funds for Maui Stormwater Program
• $300,000 FY16 and $300,000 FY17 special funds for Oahu Stormwater program

Budget worksheets detailing the appropriations in the overall Executive, Judiciary and Office of Hawaiian Affairs budget bills are available on the Capitol website at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/budget/2015budget.aspx.

The House Conferees are: Representatives Sylvia Luke, Chair; Romy Cachola, Ty Cullen, Lynn DeCoite, Aaron Johanson, Jo Jordan, Jarrett Keohokalole, Bert Kobayashi, Nicole Lowen, Scott Nishimoto, Richard Onishi, James Tokioka, Kyle Yamashita, Feki Pouha, Gene Ward.

The Senate Conferees are: Senators Jill Tokuda, Chair; Ron Kouchi, Suzanne Chun Oakland, Donovan Dela Cruz, Kalani English, Brickwood Galuteria, Breene Harimoto, Lorraine Inouye, Gil Riviere, Russell Ruderman.

The conference committee is scheduled to reconvene Tuesday, April 28, at 2:00 p.m. in room 309.