UPDATED 5/18/11 4:15 p.m.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated after concerns were raised that it did not take into account the fact that restoring public employee furloughs is a contributing factor to departments’ budgets growing. Unique circumstances surrounding the governor’s budget also affected what appears to be a dramatic rise in its office budget. This story story has been updated to reflect that information.
Only two of Hawaii’s 20 state departments will have smaller operating budgets come July 1, an analysis by Civil Beat shows.
Overall, the state budget is increasing by $800 million a year — or 8 percent — for each of the next two fiscal years. Along with cuts, legislators approved about $600 million in new tax revenue to help pay for the increases.
To piece together how individual departments fared, Civil Beat combed through 596 pages of accessible through the Hawaii State Legislature’s .
DBEDT, Human Resources See Double-Digit Cuts
One of the two departments whose budgets will shrink next year is the Department of Human Resources Development, whose budget will decrease by 22 percent for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s budget will be 13 percent smaller. (It’s worth noting that while DBEDT’s overall budget will be smaller, the department’s share of general fund monies will increase by 29 percent. By contrast, the Department of Human Resources’ general fund budget is decreasing by 28 percent.)
Meantime, 18 departments are getting bigger budgets. The Department of Health’s budget will be 65 percent larger. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will grow by 55 percent.
UPDATE: Eliminating Furloughs Add Costs
Contributing in part to each department’s budget growth is the restoration of furlough savings. Lawmakers agreed to eliminate all two-day-a-month furloughs next year. The unpaid furlough days were equivalent to about a 10 percent pay cut for most unionized employees.
The cost of restoring furloughs varies by department. For example, at the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, restoring furloughs will cost about $1.8 million in fiscal 2012, representing less than 1 percent of its approved operating budget for that year. For the Attorney General’s office, restoring furloughs will cost almost $3.7 million, representing close to 5 percent of its total budget. Civil Beat is still reporting the costs for all departments.
In some cases, while a department’s budget has been downsized, the cost to restore furloughs savings gives the appearance that its budget has increased.
For example, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ budget will be 1.3 percent bigger next year. But the cost to restore furlough savings represents 4.4 percent of its overall budget. Not counting the furlough restoration, its budget would be about 3 percent smaller than this year.
At the same time, lawmakers set aside $88 million a year for 2012 and 2013, as a placeholder for labor savings if all collective bargaining units were to agree to 5-percent pay cuts like the Hawaii Government Employees Association. So while restoring furloughs will cost more money, the assumed pay cuts would help offset the costs.
Governor’s Office Budget
The numbers show the biggest year-over-year growth comes in the Office of the Governor. Its budget will expand by 94 percent. In fiscal 2010, the office’s budget was $3.1 million. The following year, lawmakers reduced that budget to $1.2 million for the outgoing Lingle administration and $447,135 for Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s transition. For the upcoming two fiscal years, lawmakers have approved a $3.3 million annual budget. In other words, the growth reflects a restoration of funding.
While the departmental budgets exist on paper, the state’s budget director says there is $50 million annually in discretionary cuts that still have to be divvied up among departments.
$100 Million in Cuts TBD
Lawmakers assigned the $50-million-a-year lump-sum cuts for the Abercrombie administration to implement its plan to “retool” and “reconfigure” government spending.
Budget and Finance Director Kalbert Young told Civil Beat his department is working with the governor’s office to come up with a strategy and “trying to figure out a methodology to distribute that $50 million.”
“There are a number of programs that will have to be examined for reduction — elimination possibly,” Young said. “It’s a matter of going through and seeing how much more programs have to be reduced or eliminated to right-size government to the budget that’s been appropriated. That’s what we’re doing now before we’ll be prepared to implement the budget that’s been appropriated.”
Department Budget Breakdowns
Here’s a comparison of all state departments, based on HB 200. The budget totals include all means of financing. Three departments — Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Hawaiian Home Lands and Transportation — do not receive any money from the state’s general fund for operations.
Department | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | % Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Agriculture | $41.5 million | $43.4 million | $43.3 million | 4.6 percent |
Accounting & General Services | $144.1 million | $152.8 million | $151.9 million | 6.0 percent |
Attorney General | $73.1 million | $75.7 million | $73.6 million | 3.5 percent |
Business, Economic Development & Tourism | $283 million | $247.4 million | $241.5 million | (-12.6 percent) |
Budget & Finance | $1.6 billion | $1.6 billion | $1.8 billion | 1.9 percent |
Commerce & Consumer Affairs | $49.8 million | $50.4 million | $50.6 million | 1.3 percent |
Defense | $113.2 million | $120.9 million | $120.6 million | 6.8 percent |
Education | $1.6 billion | $1.8 billion | $1.8 billion | 14.5 percent |
Governor’s Office | $1.7 million | $3.3 million | $3.3 million | 93.8 percent |
Hawaiian Home Lands | $177.7 million | $185.5 million | $185.5 million | 4.3 percent |
Human Services | $2.01 billion | $2.34 billion | $2.31 billion | 16.5 percent |
Human Resources | $25.6 million | $20.01 million | $20.01 million | (-21.7 percent) |
Health | $912.8 million | $1.5 billion | $1.5 billion | 65.2 percent |
Labor & Industrial Relations | $487.1 million | $753 million | $490.8 million | 54.6 percent |
Land & Natural Resources | $98.7 million | $108.3 million | $106.7 million | 9.7 percent |
Lieutenant Governor | $0.8 million | $1.04 million | $1.04 million | 33.4 percent |
Public Safety | $230.9 million | $238.6 million | $238.7 million | 3.3 percent |
Taxation | $20.8 million | $23.4 million | $23.1 million | 12.5 percent |
Transportation | $688.7 million | $712.3 million | $760.6 million | 3.4 percent |
University of Hawaii | $863.1 million | $902.3 million | $913.4 million | 4.5 percent |
TOTAL | $10.24 billion | $11.05 billion | $10.9 billion | 7.9 percent |
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