Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige: Office Of The Governor News Release: Gov. Ige Releases List Of ARPA Coronavirus State Federal Relief Fund ...

Press release from Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige:

Jan 18, 2022

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HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige today said the State of Hawaiʻi allocated all the $1.6 billion received last May, from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The ARPA funds were  to be used for emergency response stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID resulted in a global economic shutdown, which had devastating consequences on our state. We were force to cut many programs and services, state workers were at risk of being furloughed, our hospital system was overwhelmed, our tourism industry was shut down, and our economy was on the brink of collapse,” said Gov. Ige. “At the same time, there was greater demand for essential government services and social safety nets. ARPA funds helped us pivot.”

Gov. Ige’s approach was to funnel the funds to:

HIGHLIGHTS:

A major portion of ARPA funds supported the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations’ Unemployment Insurance Program, to support and provide a safety net for the thousands of individuals who were without jobs during the pandemic.

Hospitals/Public Health Response:

The state spent a large amount of ARPA funds supporting state hospitals, emergency medical services and COVID-19 response.

Visitor Industry:

ARPA funds were used to keep the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority intact while the pandemic heavily impacted the visitor industry. HTA used these funds to restructure operations and focus more on promoting more sustainable tourism to Hawaiʻi. Funds were also dedicated to creating the Safe Travels program to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Essential Services:

ARPA funds were critical in supporting important services for the community.

Education:

It was important to support our university system during the pandemic, as well as those with financial need.

Infrastructure/Looking Forward:

ARPA funds also supported Broadband initiatives, which are included in Gov. Ige’s supplemental budget request.

This press release was produced by Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige. The views expressed here are the author’s own.