Lawmakers say At least three Hawaii legislators think that the measures proposed by Gov. Ben Cayetano to stimulate the state's struggling economy fall short in helping those most in need.
neediest not helped
Three call for greater state help
for those thrown out of workBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com"What really bothers me is there is nothing of substance in the package to address people in dire need for things like public assistance, rent and health care," said Rep. Dennis Arakaki.
So Arakaki (D, Kamehameha Heights-Kalihi Valley), along with Rep. Michael Kahikina (D, Barbers Point-Nanakuli-Maili-Waianae) and Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D-Palama-Alewa Heights) plan to hold an emergency meeting today at the state Capitol and have invited various health and human services individuals and agencies that provide front-line assistance to those in need.
"Once you lose your rental home, it's hard to come back -- even if you can start back to work, so we want to see some measures," he said.
Arakaki said he and fellow legislators have already been told that it is too late to introduce any new bills for the special session, which begins Monday.
He also fears a recently appointed task force created by the governor to study people's needs, which had its first meeting Friday, may be too little, too late.
Kim Murakawa, the governor's press secretary, said the governor would need to hear more details about the group's specific proposals before making a comment.
Arakaki said the hearing will evaluate the governor's proposal in terms of community health and human services needs and will recommend further actions that could be taken during the upcoming special session or later during the regular session.
In a joint letter dated Oct. 12, the legislators detailed some of their concerns.
"We are deeply troubled that during our review of the measures being proposed by the governor that little -- if anything -- is being proposed to help the neediest in our community," they said.
Arakaki said it should be clear how bad the situation is when groups like the Hawaii Foodbank report they are now short of food, yet are receiving more calls for assistance.
"The fact that foodbank is running low is directly related, so there are indications that there are some real problems already," he said.
Foodbank Special Events Director Polly Kauahi said that in spite of more donations coming in after a recent appeal for help, the need continues to grow.
"When we first started talking about the problem in July, we were distributing about 20,000 pounds of food per day," she said. "Then in the first week of October we were at 26,000 pounds per day. Now we are up to 31,000 pounds per day."
Kauahi fears things could be even worse by November, when 800 families receive their last welfare checks. Due to a federal mandate, public assistance ceases after five years. The numbers are likely to continue to grow as more people become ineligible for welfare benefits.
For Hawaii families without an income, the timing couldn't be worse, she said.
"That means their resources will be stretched and they will be coming into the safety net of food bank agencies," she said.
Moreover, agencies such as the Aloha United Way, which could normally are counted on to provide help to those in need, have had their own problems since the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Fewer donations for local causes have come in since the Sept. 11 tragedy, said Rep. Michael Kahikina
"AUW did see a great surge of donations but they're targeted for New York," he said.
Hawaii's nonprofit groups have already been notified they can expect to receive at least 15 percent less from AUW, he said.
"It's likely to kill some nonprofits," he said.
Arakaki, Chun and Kahikina have some ideas they believe could help alleviate the growing problem. Extending unemployment benefits is already part of the governor's stimulus package. The legislators also managed to get a health care program similar to the Children's Health Insurance Plan included for those who lose health insurance, Kahikina said.
Like CHIP, the plan would offer limited benefits, but would provide the basics, Kahikina said. The cost of the plan would be about $63 per month, he said, and it could be offered when people sign up for unemployment benefits.
The legislators would also like to see greater state and federal tax credits to encourage people to make donations to nonprofit agencies already providing assistance. A temporary revocation of the general excise tax on food and rent would also help, they said, as would rent subsidies for struggling small businesses. They also favor extension of Section 8 rental assistance housing vouchers now administered by the state and the county to those who have trouble meeting rent payments over the next few months since losing jobs.
The legislators would also like to see more done in terms of work force development and public works projects, especially if tourism jobs fail to re-materialize quickly.
"We don't want tourists to come here and see people homeless and begging for food," Arakaki said.
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