Change in Council on Revenues projections for Hawaiʻi leads to $1B budget reduction

Governor Josh Green, M.D., notified the Legislature of his intent to line-item veto and line-item reduce House Bill 300, the General Appropriations Bill of 2023, to balance the state’s budget.

The change in the Council on Revenues general fund projections for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 went from +2% in March to –1% in May, which Gov. Green said, prompted the need to rebalance the state’s financial plan through line-item reductions to the budget.

To balance the financial plan and meet the reserve policy for the state, Gov. Green said he needed to reduce approximately $1 billion from the budget bill over the Fiscal Biennium 2023-2025.

This budget bill appropriates funds for operations and capital improvement projects of Executive Branch agencies and programs.

“Our state laws and policies require me to balance the budget and ensure that the state has adequate reserves to protect against budget shortfalls and provide financial stability and flexibility during volatile times and natural disasters,” said Gov. Green. “A sound budget and appropriate reserve levels are also needed to help maintain strong bond ratings that can positively affect borrowing costs associated with our capital improvement projects.”

Gov. Green’s actions will protect essential services, core programs, and will continue to make significant investments in priority areas for the state. 

“I considered the needs of the community to make sure we are still making large strides in moving the state forward,” said Gov. Green. “Even with this year’s proposed reductions, this budget makes historic investments in housing, homelessness, environment, healthcare, and education.”

Gov. Green said many of the items that were reduced require additional planning, public input, and clarity on the use of funds. Consideration was also given to the departments’ capacity to spend down the funds efficiently within the appropriation timeline, and in many instances, smaller amounts of funding were provided so that the initial work of important projects and programs could begin, according to the governor.

The line-item reductions and vetoes in House Bill 300 are listed below.

• Reducing $4 million in FY24 from Enterprise Technology Services for Relocation of Data Center; leaving $1 million
• Reducing $1.05 million in FY24 from Department of Accounting and General Services Public Works Division for Proof of concept and master planning
• Reducing $500k in FY24 for Enterprise Technology Services relocation of Mapunapuna Baseyard
• Reducing $50M in FY24 for the First Responder Tech Park
• Reducing $1.5M in FY24 for East Kapolei Infrastructure; leaving $500k
• Reducing $18.5M in FY24 for Kakaʻako Street Upgrades
• Reducing $42M in FY24 for Kalaeloa electric upgrades; leaving $5M
• Reducing $61M in FY24 for Iwilei-Kapālama infrastructure; leaving $25M 
• Reducing $88.8M in FY24 for irrigation infrastructure; leaving $5M
• Reducing $5 million in FY24 from Department of Agriculture Mitigation and Population Control of Feral Animals (Department of Land and Natural Resources will undertake this work)
• Reducing $2M in FY24 for Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism Hawaiʻi Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies for energy tech, microgrid, and other related programs; leaving $2M
• Reducing $33M in FY25 for Broadband Federal Matching; leaving $33M in FY24 for state match
• Reducing $500M in FY25 for the Emergency Budget Reserve Fund; leaving $500M in FY24 to meet reserve target
• Reducing $50M in FY24 for Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority solar energy storage loan program; leaving $50M in FY24 to launch program
• Reducing $12M in FY24 for the Department of Defense; plan, design, construction, and equipment for new headquarters
• Reducing $120M in FY24 for Teacher Housing; leaving $50M in FY24 to launch program
• Reducing $3M in FY24 for Department of Human Resources and Development Computer Equipment
• Reducing $5M in FY24 for Department of Law Enforcement Training Center for New Building
• Reducing $5M in FY24 for Department of Land and Natural Resources for forestry resource management; leaving $20M in FY24
• Reducing $25M in FY24 for State Parks renovations and improvements; leaving $25M in FY24
• Reducing $100k in FY24 for Kawehewehe Waikīkī Boardwalk
• Reducing $60.2M in FY24 for Department of Land Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation