U.S. Senate budget bill includes $75 million for Hawaii

The bipartisan funding package approved by the U.S. Senate Friday Opens in a new tab includes nearly $75 million in earmarks for Hawaii, according to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.

“We secured nearly $75 million in new earmark funding to support Native Hawaiians and communities across Hawaii in critical areas, including health care, housing, and education,” the Hawaii Democrat said in a news release Friday. “In spite of the challenges in Washington, we made sure that Hawaii got its fair share of federal resources.”

Schatz said the latest funding follows nearly $34 million in earmark funding for Hawaii in an appropriations deal signed into law earlier this month and $38 million enacted in November.

According to Schatz, the appropriations, which range from $124,000 to over $7 million, include:

>> $7.3 million for Hawaii County to support the planning and design of a highway connecting the West terminus of Daniel K. Inouye Highway to the intersection of the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway with Waikoloa Beach Drive.

>> $5 million for Child & Family Service on Maui to purchase a facility for family-strengthening programs.

>> $3 million for Palama Settlement on Oahu to support construction of a new community center to primarily serve nearby public housing residents.

>> $2 million for The Food Basket Inc. on Hawaii island to construct a 7,000-square-foot steel Farmers Market Pavilion for local farmers, food vendors, and small businesses to sell produce.

>> $1.9 million for Hale Makua Health Services on Maui to purchase and replace nursing home patient beds.

>> $1.6 million for the Bishop Museum to digitize entire collections for use by academic institutions, other museums and the public.

>> $1.6 million for the Hawai’i Food Bank’s Waipahu facility to increase food access and disaster resilience.