The Senate Ways and Means Committee has advanced the state budget bill.
Committee Chair Donovan Dela Cruz said they passed the budget, House Bill 1800, along with the One ʻOhana Trust Fund, HB 679, and a Maui disaster relief fund, HB 2610, to show a full picture of the requests from the governor’s administration.
Dela Cruz noted that costs for non-congregate sheltering, such as individual hotel rooms, have escalated. The state’s contract with the American Red Cross has increased from $200 million in August to $500 million in February.
“Without a clear housing plan that has been communicated to the Lege that moves households out of NCS, the administration has not set forward a plan to fund non-congregate sheltering beyond June 2024," Dela Cruz said.
"If non-congregate sheltering continues beyond June, it seems the state will have to cover 100% of the cost for FEMA in eligible households if families are not transitioned into temporary and permanent housing options.”
Dela Cruz said the administration has assured lawmakers that there is a plan to transition households out of non-congregate sheltering without cost overruns.
The senator also noted a wide array of highlights in the budget not related to the Maui fires, including reducing positions that have been vacant for more than four years, increasing the Hawaiʻi Convention Center fund ceiling by $45 million for deferred maintenance, and giving nearly $21 million to the state Department of Education for summer learning hubs.
HB 1800 now goes back to the Senate floor for a second reading.
How did we get here? Catch up on past coverage from HPR:
