Civil Beat - $1T Federal Omnibus Bill Means $744M for Hawaii

News Article

By Chad Blair

The $1 trillion federal omnibus bill includes more than $744 million for Hawaii for military, education, health care, transportation and the environment. The bi-partisan bill would fund the U.S. government through October, the rest of fiscal year 2014.

That's assuming the U.S. Congress agrees on things, of course, but the proposed bill was unveiled yesterday by the House and Senate appropriations committees.

Sen. Brian Schatz's office today released a breakdown of what's in the bill (check his official website later for the full list).

"We did well for Hawaii in this appropriations process, especially in light of the fact that budgets are tight across the country," Schatz said in a statement. "We're deeply appreciative that when we made the case for Hawaii's projects, Senate appropriators listened and we were able to protect funding, and in some cases even increase funding, for Hawaii's priorities."

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa also welcomed the bill.

"In defense spending, funding for the East-West Center, and programs that help veterans, children, and Native Hawaiians, Hawaii did well," Hanabusa said. "Given the current economy and the atmosphere in Washington, we accomplished a lot. It was worth the effort."

In defense spending, Hanabusa's office pointed out, the proposed bill includes increased funding for submarine and surface ship fleets, "which benefits Hawaii," and maintains a limitation on early retirement of Ticonderoga class cruisers, two of which are ported at Pearl Harbor.

Sen. Mazie Hirono's office expressed gratification that the bill includes the Pre-K: $250 Million Competitive Grant to Fund State Preschool, something Hawaii would be eligible to compete in this program. Hirono's push for an official recommendation from Congress that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service treat the coffee berry borer as a threat and research methods to control and eradicate the pest was included as well.

Highlights of the omnibus bill:

* $392 million for Hawaii military construction

* $16.7 million for the East-West Center

* $32.4 million for Native Hawaiian education programs

* $250 million for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

* $10 million for Native Hawaiian housing grants

* $14.4 million for the Native Hawaiian health care

* $ 26.3 million for the Maui Space Situational Awareness program

* $1.8 million for Hansen's disease treatment

Source