Takai Praises Governor Ige's Pledge In State of State For Better Use of Federal Funds

Press Release

Today, Congressman Mark Takai applauded Governor David Ige's announcement of key initiatives in his State of the State Address, including some to modernize Hawaii's system of transportation, and how a State and Federal level partnership can achieve these critical goals.

"This coming year, we will see a five percent increase in federal dollars to our state. I am pleased to see Governor Ige highlight in his State of the State the importance of obtaining these funds to be used for projects in Hawaii, in particular, for the modernization of our transportation systems and development of affordable housing. I am proud to fight everyday to bring these dollars back home, and I am glad to see them put to use and projects years-in-the-making come to fruition," Takai said.

Last year, Takai, with Senator Brian Schatz, met with local and regional officials of the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and the State Department of Transportation, to discuss how the State of Hawaii, in collaboration with the FHA, has begun to address backlogs and speed up the process of getting more projects qualified and approved.

"In some cases, the state has struggled to spend federal monies in a timely way," Ige said in his State of the State. "The issue has vexed us for far too long. We are starting to make progress. The Department of Transportation reduced its Fiscal Year 2015 project pipeline balance by over $100 million. This is the largest drop in five years and is the lowest has been since Fiscal Year 2002," Ige added.

Takai, last year, proposed a "win-win scenario" in a letter that he sent to Acting Federal Highways Administrator Gregory Nadaeu requesting that the FHA grant the State of Hawaii the authority to use federal Highway Trust Fund dollars to make the required improvements to Kamehameha Highway and Farrington Highway as now required because of the construction of the Rail Project.

"The traffic corridors of Kamehameha Highway and Farrington Highway that run from Aiea to Waipahu serve as a vital artery for our residents, businesses, and the military. We need funding now, to improve them as the rail project dictates, and we have a ready-made solution in federal Highway Trust Funds that the state has already obtained from the FHA."

Governor Ige also talked about the need for additional public housing to combat homelessness in Hawaii. Takai sat on the Governor's Homelessness Task Force, which was a multilateral effort to tackle the issue through collaboration with all levels of government--local, state, and federal. As a part of his work on the Taskforce, Takai met several times with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro about homelessness and emphasized the need for federal support.

Through these meetings, the Hawaii Congressional Delegation was able to announce that HUD awarded $14,252,365 in various grants to support the development of affordable workforce housing for low and moderate-income people, address homelessness, and provide housing assistance and supportive services for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families. The delegation was also able to announce $1,252,253.00 to go toward vouchers to help provide housing for Hawaii's veterans experiencing homelessness and $8.7 million to build affordable homes, make renovations, and provide housing support for Native Hawaiian families.

"At a crucial time when Hawaii is facing a critical shortage of affordable and transition housing, these grants will provide additional resources to our most vulnerable of residents, and help to begin the process of helping them find permanent housing. I am pleased to see Governor Ige, from this funding, outline a plan "that will redefine our concept of public housing and make it more efficient, more welcoming, and more compassionate.' I look forward to working with the Governor and other local officials to make sure these projects finally break ground," Takai said.

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