Gov. David Ige delivered the annual state of the state message to the Hawaii legislature on Jan. 25, according to an Office of the Governor press release.
He highlighted where the state was exactly a year ago – with a high of $8 billion in revenue, the lowest unemployment rate in the United States and the best credit rating ever from the bond market, and the actions of individuals he called everyday heroes.
By late February, when the pandemic was just emerging, the Hawaiʻi State Laboratories were among the first in the nation to begin testing for the coronavirus. The state implemented a statewide stay-at-home order – the first in the nation – on March 25, and the next day imposed a 14-day quarantine for travelers. The state’s first fatality came on March 31.
But Ige sees hope – in the vaccines that are coming, in President Joe Biden’s belief in science and empathy for those affected by COVID-19, and in the local citizens, like Alofa Nua.
“Alofa Nua ran a small tire shop on Oʻahu with his wife Tanya, working seven days a week. He was young, healthy and full of life. Last March, he began feeling ill and developed a fever. That’s when he got tested for COVID-19. He thought it was just the flu, but he was wrong. A week after being admitted to the hospital, he began to have trouble breathing. The doctors at Queen’s told him they would have to put him on a ventilator. In his words, they put him to sleep in March and he woke up in May. He was in the hospital for 7 ½ weeks,” Ige said. "Alofa is a survivor because of the dedication, professionalism and sincere concern of his medical caregivers, who refused to let him lose his battle with the virus. They are the true heroes of Hawaiʻi. And there are many others, including our first responders and essential workers, who go to work every day, despite this deadly pandemic.”
He suggested a new path to the future.
“We will continue to take the tough actions necessary to keep our community safe, including the Safe Travels airport screening program. Hawaiʻi was among the first to demand pre-travel testing and quarantine procedures. That’s one of the reasons we lead the nation with the lowest COVID infection and death rates. We are also implementing a comprehensive strategy for the distribution of vaccines in every county. We are getting vaccine to people where they live and where they are able to receive it. And we will be working with the Biden administration to expedite the distribution of vaccines to everyone," Ige said.
When it came to the state’s economic well-being, Ige pointed to the $4 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful for the assistance of the Senate and the House—especially Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz and Rep. Sylvia Luke—in helping us direct these monies to those who needed them, including:
$75 million in restaurant cards for the unemployed,
$25 million to small businesses for new products and markets,
$3 million to support the commercial fishing industry,
$61 million for PPE for business and educational institutions,
$10 million for local PPE manufacturing,
$15 million for childcare providers,
$31 million for computers and connectivity for our students,
$14 million to bring in nurses and healthcare workers, and
$5 million for food assistance.
We also spent more than $71 million in housing assistance to about 13,700 households who would have otherwise faced eviction. This program was cited by Forbes Magazine as a model for the nation in getting rent checks to landlords faster than any other state,” he said.
The state built 10,000 new homes by 2020, and Ige set a goal of 3,000 more homes by the end of 2022. Another goal is to make land available for building affordable leasehold homes.
“As I outlined last year, if we can reduce the cost of land, we could dramatically lower the overall cost of affordable housing in Hawaiʻi. I will be asking you to consider a bill to do just that. More importantly, the initiative would keep this supply of housing affordable forever. We also want to invest more in capital improvement projects, adding infrastructure and roads that will allow us to develop more homes. To that end, I am asking my administration to take a sweeping look at how we generate affordable housing—from financing through construction. There are at least four agencies involved in housing that could benefit from better coordination and economies of scale,” said Ige. “In fact, construction has been the one bright spot during this pandemic. We expect to see investments of $1.1 billion in state capital improvement projects. Federal transportation projects—such as airports, harbors and highways—will add another $1.1 billion. And the private sector is expected to contribute another $10 billion and thousands of jobs to help restart our economy.”
The state legislature also established a School Facilities Agency to update the state’s aging schools, which will be the first step in maximizing school lands – with new teacher housing, childcare facilities, after school centers and other compatible uses.