GOVERNOR TO TESTIFY ON STIMULUS FUNDING

Governor Linda Lingle is among the people set to testify on Monday on the progress of Hawaii’s spending of federal stimulus funds.

File Photo Courtesy Office of the Governor, State of Hawaii.

More than $1 billion was appropriated for Hawaii in February through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations is being held to gauge the progress of state in utilizing the funds effectively.  The federal funds were made available to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and bolster support services.

The list of witnesses who scheduled to testify also includes Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, and representatives involved with the development of infrastructure, energy initiatives, social programs and other federal, state, and county services.

In making the announcement today, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye said the hearing will allow him to receive status reports and question government officials and representatives from other agencies on their progress.

The committee will meet in open session at 9:30 am on Monday, August 24, 2009 at the State Capitol Building, Room 325.  Written statements from non-scheduled witnesses are also welcome.

The witness lineup includes the following:  (Panel I) The Honorable Linda Lingle, Governor State of Hawaii  (Panel  II) The Honorable Colleen Hanabusa, President Hawaii State Senate (Panel III) Rear Admiral Michael A. Giorgione, CEC, USN Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific Fleet Engineer, U.S. Pacific Fleet;  Brennon Morioka, Director, Hawaii Department of Transportation;  Abraham Wong, Division Administrator, Federal Highways Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation; Dr. David Lassner, Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer, University of Hawaii  (Panel IV) The Honorable Mayor Hannemann, Mayor City and County of Honolulu;  Patricia Hamamoto, Superintendent, Hawaii Department of Education;  Gordan Y. Furutani, Field Office Director, Honolulu Office, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Matthew A. Nagato, Communications Director, Hawaii Primary Care Association (Panel V) William Parks, Special Assistant and State of Hawaii Liaison, Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy;  Theodore E. Liu, Director, Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Maurice H. Kaya, Technical Director, Hawaii Renewable Energy Development Venture, Pacific International Center for High Technology Research

(Posted by Wendy Osher, Information provided by the Office of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye)