As a Child Welfare Services specialist on the Big Island, Patrice Bell has seen spending restrictions and budget cuts reduce her office size by about one-third.

Many have retired, while others have resigned rather than be at an office where lack of personnel puts the welfare of children at risk, she said.

“;The cuts to us have crippled us,”; she said. “;The real cost to the kids is life and death.”;

Bell was among the advocates who packed the state Capitol auditorium yesterday as social service providers took their case to the Legislature.

Providers urged lawmakers to use surplus special funds or raise taxes before making further spending cuts to programs and services that support the social “;safety net”; as they try to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit.

The message is “;loud and clear,”; said Sen. Gary Hooser, among the few lawmakers who attended yesterday's briefing.

“;I believe the message also is we can't cut any more,”; said Hooser (D, Kauai-Niihau). “;We have to spend the money that we have in the special funds, that's the No. 1 thing, and I support that 100 percent—invest the money that we do have and stop cutting these important social services.”;

Lawmakers say all options are on the table for closing the budget gap, including tax increases or raids of various special funds. Advocates brought in veteran economists to back the notion of using fund raids and tax increases over further cuts.

University of Hawaii economist Byron Gangnes said using special funds is the only option available to lawmakers that would not directly reduce economic activity such as consumer spending.

“;It's foolish to be holding on to special funds during the worst downturn that we've had in forever,”; Gangnes said. “;We need to be using these special funds. I don't think there's any good argument for not using them.”;

Other economists on the panel included Council on Revenues Chairman Paul Brewbaker, University of Hawaii-West Oahu professor Bill Boyd and Gerald Russo, a UH-Manoa health economist.

All noted that cutting services and programs could have more severe negative impacts on the economy over the long term.

For example, Brewbaker said that “;ripping”; days out of the public school calendar would put Hawaii students behind their mainland counterparts when it comes to getting into better colleges.

“;There's a lot of things if you cut now that you wind up paying later in worse human outcomes,”; Brewbaker said.

Yesterday's forum was organized by the advocacy group PHOCUSED (Protecting Hawaii's Ohana, Children, Under-Served, Elderly, Disabled) and the Hawaii Government Employees Association. Members from more than a dozen social service providers attended, organizers said.

“;The one concern that you heard today from across the board ... is that the cuts that have been occurring and that are occurring are leading us in a direction that we are really concerned about for what Hawaii's going to look like if they continue down this path,”; said Alex Santiago, executive director of PHOCUSED.

“;There's got to be more attention being paid to the direction that they're going and the fact that there are alternatives to their cutting.”;