BREAKING: Gov. Ige Announces Delay for State Furloughs

Governor David Ige announced today that there will be a delay in state furloughs.

In a letter sent to state employees this afternoon, the governor said the state had been waiting months to see if Congress would provide additional federal funds to help address the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts here in Hawai‘i.

On Monday, a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill was passed, and while the aid package doesn’t provide designated funding to state and local governments for revenue shortfall, it does provide direct funding for mitigation measures that the state would have to pay for otherwise, such as vaccine distribution, testing, education, and more.

Based on the promise of federal aid, the governor made the decision to delay the implementation of the furloughs, which was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2021. However, he added that because it’s a fluid situation, there is no timeline of when the furloughs will begin.

Gov. Ige said, “I know the uncertainty makes things difficult for you and your families. We are continuing to monitor the latest information and will provide an update as soon as we can.”

He also added, “With the safe and effective vaccines being administered, I’m hopeful we can limit the number of new cases and see our revenues pick up soon. Nevertheless, the impact to the state’s budget has been severe, and economists predict it will take years to recover. I anticipate that permanent and ongoing changes must be made to state government and ask your help in creating a more resilient way to serve the people of Hawaiʻi.”a