Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige: Office Of The Governor News Release: Governor Ige's Budget Calls For Increased Funding For Pandemic Respon ...

Press release from Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige:

Dec 20, 2021

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HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige unveiled his Executive Supplemental Budget for 2021-23, requesting that the Hawaiʻi State Legislature continues to support crucial programs that aim to ease current challenges facing the State of Hawaiʻi.

The state budget is the single most important document developed each year that addresses the state’s priorities. This supplemental budget request presents an action plan that addresses the issues of today and continues to make strategic investments toward improving the state’s social and physical infrastructure.

“This budget request is very different from budget requests of the previous two years, when we had to cut more than $1 billion, and all state agencies were forced to slash spending. This year, the economy has improved more quickly than anticipated,” said Gov. Ige.

Current general fund tax revenue growth through the first five months of FY 22 has been $27.3%.

“That’s astounding. We’ve seen increased consumer spending, the rapid recovery of visitor arrivals, and healthy general excise and income tax collections. The increased revenues allow us to launch initiatives that are responsive to the pandemic and restore critical services that were previously reduced,” said Ige. “However, the pandemic brings much uncertainty, so while we’re cautiously optimistic, we must continue to prepare for unforeseen events and invest in a sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.”

OVERVIEW OF OPERATING/CIP REQUESTS:

The total Operating Budget from all methods of financing includes:

For FY 23, the recommended General Fund adjustment to the Operating Budget is $8.701 billion.

CIP BUDGET – State investments in critical infrastructure projects provide the best and most direct way to drive our economy and create jobs for our people. This supplemental budget request includes funding for education, transportation, clean energy, high-speed internet access and many other critical needs.

The proposed Capital Improvements Program for General Obligation Bond Funds includes:

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

Education – Both the Dept. of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi suffered significant budget reductions at the beginning of the pandemic.

“Last year, we were planning for furloughs. Today, we’re restoring and investing more than $689 million for public education,” said Gov. Ige.

“I’ve always been passionate about public education. Improvements to our educational facilities are some of the most important long-term investments we can make,” Gov. Ige said.

University of Hawaiʻi – Medical Education – The pandemic underscored the need for more nurses and doctors, especially on the neighbor islands.

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