Governor’s budget requests include $9 million for Kahului Civic Center
Green seeks funding for housing, health care, education and environmental initiatives
The Maui News
Funding for housing, health care, education and other projects across the state — including $9 million for the Kahului Civic Center — are among the additional budget requests Gov. Josh Green made to the state Legislature on Monday.
“The state is in a strong financial position, and we need to act now to provide the relief that many people in Hawaii need,” Green said in a news release.
Some of the governor’s additional budget requests include:
GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
• $36 million to modernize the unemployment insurance system.
• $9 million in fiscal year 2024 for the Kahului Civic Center, which will consolidate government offices to a one-stop location for public services.
• $5 million for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program to support digital equity and access to broadband in rural and unserved communities.
HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
• $900 million for Hawaii Housing Finance Development Corporation programs to support affordable housing and infrastructure across the state.
• $40 million in each fiscal year for lump sum repairs and maintenance for Department of Hawaiian Home Lands existing infrastructure statewide.
• $20 million for Hawaii Public Housing Authority statewide public housing development, improvements and renovations statewide.
• $12.5 million for the Hawaii Public Housing Authority State Rent Supplement Program.
HEALTH CARE
• $12.3 million to provide additional funding to the Department of Health to provide additional resources for mental health services throughout the state.
• $25 million in fiscal year 2024 and $20 million in fiscal year 2025 to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rates up to 100 percent of Medicare. These state funds will bring in an additional $42 million in federal funds in each fiscal year and ensure access to high quality health care for the state’s Medicaid population, Green said.
ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE
• $25 million for the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund to provide financing for clean energy technology and infrastructure projects statewide.
• $6.2 million for watershed protection across the state.
• $4 million for statewide trail restoration and maintenance.
• $4 million to construct and repair deep monitor wells statewide, including monitoring the health of the drinking water aquifers.
• $3 million for control of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which is mostly found on Oahu. Conservationists have been working to keep it from spreading to Neighbor Islands.
• 13 positions and $434,668 in fiscal year 2024 and $793,980 in fiscal year 2025 to support capacity for climate justice and climate change mitigation and adaptation activities statewide.
EDUCATION
• $38.8 million in each fiscal year for the Preschool Open Doors Expansion to support preschool access for keiki.
• $15 million in fiscal year 2024 and $10 million in fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Education to support applied behavior analysis services for students with significant behavioral or social-communication deficits across schools statewide.
• $6 million in each fiscal year for skilled nursing services for the Department of Education.
• $1.7 million in each fiscal year for the Department of Education for the physical and mental health direct service referral management system of care, to ensure all students across the state receive on-demand and scheduled care, treatment planning, care management and crisis consultation.
• 25 positions and $1.1 million in fiscal 24 as well as 50 positions and $2.1 million in fiscal 25 to expand bilingual/bicultural school home assistants across DOE schools.
For full details on Green’s budget message and requests, visit governor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/23020_Senate-President.pdf