State Legislature to reconvene Monday to address $1 billion budget shortfall

The Hawaii State Legislature will reconvene on Monday to address a growing shortfall in the state budget.

House Speaker Scott Saiki and Senate President Ronald Kouchi announced today that the Legislature will return for a “truncated” session on May 11 in an effort to make up for an estimated $1 billion budget shortfall that developed because of the state’s COVID-19 response, which shut down much of the state’s economic activity.

The 2020 legislative session went into recess on March 17 in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Saiki said the new session will not revisit the 60-day legislative calendar, and will focus solely on addressing the budget shortfall, which he estimated will take six legislative days to complete.

Saiki said the reconvened session will seek to find alternatives for more drastic measures by Gov. David Ige to manage the shortfall, such as pay cuts and furloughs for state employees.

The Legislature may reconvene again, possibly in June, to address some bills that were introduced earlier this year, Saiki said.

In order to comply with social distancing requirements, only written testimony will be permitted at committee hearings. Saiki said seating procedures will be modified to keep representatives and senators a sufficient distance apart, while Kouchi said legislators not from Oahu will be exempt from the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for interisland travelers.