Aloha,
I'm hoping you and your family are well. As we head into the
final phase of the legislative session, here's an update:
State Budget Moving Forward
The State Budget (House Bill 500) is now in Conference Committee,
where members of the House and Senate meet to work out an agreement
on the final form of the budget. If you're not familiar, the
State Budget includes the operating expenses for the different
state agencies and departments, and the capitol improvements,
which include road construction, school repair, and grants-in-aid.
We're still working out the details, but hope to see the construction
funding for the UH West Oahu campus and a new elementary school
for Kapolei in the budget by the time the session ends on May
3rd.
As it stands right now, there are several important Senate
District 19 projects included in the budget. Here are a few
notable ones:
Transportation
Construction of North South Road $55 million
East-West Collector Road $17.225 million
Fort Barrette Road Widening $14.2 million
Kalaeloa Airport Improvements $6.455 million
Westbound Afternoon H-1 Contraflow $5 million
Kalaeloa Road Safety Improvements $1.1 million
Grant-in-Aid to Non-Profits
Salvation Army (Kapolei) $1.5 million
Malama Learning Center $275,000
Easter Seals (Makakilo) $250,000
The State Judiciary Budget (House Bill 1212) includes a $6
million appropriation for the planned Kapolei Court Complex.
I continue to work with my colleagues at the Legislature in
the hopes that we get additional funding for this important
project.
Hawaii 2050 Needs Your Input
I was invited to serve as a member of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability
Task Force (Hawaii 2050), which was created by the Legislature
in 2005. The goal of the statewide task force is to come up
with a long-range plan to guide future policy decisions so we
can achieve a sustainable environment, community, and economy.
The plan is scheduled to be presented to the Legislature in
December, 2007. The task force has 25 members including state
and county government officials, experts from UH, and planning
professionals. Please get involved. Help us shape the future!
Here are a few important ways that you can weigh in:
1. Be a host of your own Community Meeting
2. Complete the On-line Survey
3. Attend one of the 12 official statewide Community Meetings
You can find out all the details by going to the Hawaii 2050
website at www.hawaii2050.org.
Talk-Story
On April 28th, I'll be hosting a talk-story at the Kapolei Starbucks
(outside seating, near the Chevron Station) at 9:00am. I'll
also be co-hosting a talk-story with Representative Sharon Har
at Kapolei High School on May 5th from 9am to 10am. The second
meeting will take place right after the end of the Legislative
Session and will give us an opportunity to update you on our
efforts over the last several months. Please come. If you can't,
call or email your concerns.
If I can help you in any way, contact me at 586-6830 or email
sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov.
Mahalo for the privilege of serving you!
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