At Least 3 Hawaii Lawmakers Give Back, Donate Pay Raises
At least one Hawaii senator says he’s been cutting a check back to the state each month, essentially negating the pay raise lawmakers received in 2009. And at least two other lawmakers say they’ve been donating their pay increases to nonprofits in their respective districts.
Sen. Mike Gabbard, a Democrat representing parts of West Oahu, says he’s returned more than $14,000 back to the state Department of Accounting and General Services since lawmakers salaries increased 36 percent on Jan. 1, 2009.
The pay increase had been recommended by a salary commission created by a 2006 constitutional amendment. The group can give lawmakers raises that the Legislature doesn’t have to vote on. The commission in 2007 approved a series of raises that would amount to a 61 percent increase by 2014 — from $35,900 in 2008 to $57,852 in January 2014.
Gabbard said he didn’t feel right about the timing of the raise in 2009, amid the deepening recession.
“It was really a very personal decision to give back the raise,” Gabbard said. “Given that so many people had been hurting, I thought it was the right thing to do. I don’t fault my colleagues — some had been in the position for many years and felt they deserved it.”
Hawaii’s 25 senators and 51 representatives earn the same annual salary of $46,273, with the exception of the Senate president and House speaker, who each earn $55,773 — $7,500 more.
When the pay raise first took effect, lawmakers saw their salaries boosted to $48,708. Following the 36 percent raise, legislators got a 5 percent pay cut effective July 1, 2009, brining their pay to the current range.
Gabbard initially was returning $748.78 each month to DAGS, along with a letter saying the amount was “attributable to the salary increase legislators received beginning January 2009.” Following the 5 percent cut — which has been extended through December 2013 — Gabbard has been returning $393.16 each month.
Chasing the Budget Shortfall
“I just felt for myself that it should go back to the general fund given the realities of the budget shortfall we’ve been chasing,” Gabbard said.
Asked when he’ll be OK with accepting a pay increase, Gabbard said: “When things get back on the upswing, but I haven’t really decided.”
Two other lawmakers told Civil Beat they’ve accepted the increased pay, but have been donating at least some of the difference in higher pay to schools and nonprofits in their districts.
Rep. Blake Oshiro, a Democrat representing the Aiea area, estimates he’s donated about $5,000 annually to schools and other community organizations in his district.
“I figured I could return it, or actually use the money to help various community groups,” he said. “When the Legislature’s pay raises got approved, we weren’t in charge of the independent commission that adjusted our pay. I just didn’t feel it was the right time to take a pay raise, so I decided to give mine away.”
Also asked when he would be comfortable accepting a raise, Oshiro said: “There may be some point where I feel I don’t need to keep giving it away, but it hasn’t arrived at that date yet.”
Civil Beat confirmed that a third lawmaker was also donating his raise to charity. Civil Beat granted that lawmaker anonymity because he confirmed his donation on the condition that we not draw attention to his donations, which are not a matter of public record.
