House Republicans propose attrition as budget solution
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
House Republican leaders said yesterday the state should eliminate nearly 4 percent of state jobs — all vacant positions — rather than raiding the Hurricane Relief Fund and raising taxes to balance a $15 billion two-year budget.
House Minority Leader Galen Fox, R-21st (Waikiki, Ala Wai), said the state could save $73 million a year by simply not filling half of the 3,000 current vacancies and hiring replacements for only half of the positions that become vacant within the next year.
The remaining 41,000 state employees would have to "take up the slack" and become more productive through technology and better management as sacrifice for the economic downturn caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Fox said.
House Republicans fought in vain to block preliminary approval of plans to use $100 million from the Hurricane Relief Fund for state operating expenses, but said yesterday they hope the Legislature eventually will listen to voters, who want that money saved for a windy day or refunded.
Lawmakers are struggling to balance the budget after tax revenue projections for the next two years fell by $315 million after the Sept. 11 attacks. Gov. Ben Cayetano has proposed spending all of the $213 million in the hurricane fund to balance the budget, while the House has proposed spending $100 million from the fund and holding the rest in reserve.
The Republicans' one-time plan to eliminate 2,000 vacant state positions would not lead to any layoffs or affect pay raises, Fox said at a press conference called yesterday to mark "half-time" of the 2002 legislative session.
Fox said no positions should be eliminated at the University of Hawai'i, in the Public Safety Department or in public classrooms, and about half of the vacancies could be filled in the Health Department and more than a third in the Department of Education's civil service.
All other departments paid from the general fund and special funds would lose positions now vacant.
As of January 1, for general fund departments, that amounted to 83 positions in Accounting and General Services, 37 in agriculture, 28 at the attorney general's office, 10 in Budget and Finance, 13 at Business and Economic Development, 14 at Defense, 57 in public libraries, one at Hawaiian Home Lands, 12 in Human Resources, 104 in Human Services, 29 in Labor and Industrial Relations, 66 at Land and Natural Resources, three in the lieutenant governor's office and 208 in taxation.
Partial reductions would eliminate 551 positions at the Department of Education and 262 positions at the Department of Health, he said.
Comparable reductions would be made in state positions paid for with special funds.
The 155 vacancies at the University of Hawai'i should be filled, Fox said, because the university has been cut too much already. And all 353 vacancies in Public Safety should be filled, he said.
Comparing the government's economic situation to that of a family, state Rep. Mark Moses, R-42nd (Kapolei, 'Ewa Village, Village Park), said that when a family fails to get expected income, it tries to save money by making do with less.
Reach Walter Wright at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.
