Posted on: Saturday, December 22, 2001

$550 million set for state

By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The last acts of Congress this week will bring more than $550 million in federal dollars to Hawaii in fiscal 2002, most of it for the military.

The state's education, labor and health programs also will reap about $113 million in the $124 billion fiscal 2002 spending bill the Senate passed Thursday and the House passed Wednesday. The $343 billion defense-spending bill was the last appropriations bill approved in both houses Thursday.

Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i and chairman of the Senate's Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said he was satisfied with the bill though lawmakers had difficulty in keeping it within budget targets in light of new military demands.

"The measure the Congress has sent to the White House contains funds to undertake military missions critical to our country's war against terrorism, as well as (to) support our troops and enhance our fighting and technological capabilities," Inouye said.

The $444 million for Hawai'i defense programs includes $139 million for Kaua'i programs, $49 million of which will go to the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Maui programs will get $81 million, including nearly $23 million for the Space Surveillance System. The restoration of Kaho'olawe received another $67.5 million.

Along with the $383 million approved earlier this year for military construction projects in Hawai'i, defense spending in the state will exceed $827 million in fiscal 2002.

Inouye said Congress focused on helping those affected by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, including $19.3 million for labor initiatives in Hawai'i.

Those programs include the rural development and job training initiative on all the Neighbor Islands, which will receive $10 million — an increase of more than $3 million from last year — and the Native Hawaiian vocational education program, which will get $3.5 million, about $750,00 more than last year.

An education support program for students who are children of members of the armed forces and federal government employees in Hawai'i will get $39.5 million.

Native Hawaiian education programs, reauthorized for five years under the education reform bill approved this week, will get $33 million, up from $28 million last year.

Papa Ola Lokahi and the state's Native Hawaiian healthcare systems will receive $7 million, $750,000 more than last year.