On the bench
By ddepledge
Dozens of construction workers came to the state Capitol on Friday morning to back a state Senate bill that would direct $500 million worth of bond-financed construction toward repair and maintenance projects at state buildings and streamline the permitting and procurement processes to launch the projects quickly.
Davin Auyong, an apprentice carpenter who lives in Pearl City, said he has been out of work for five months. He told the Senate Ways and Means Committee that the downturn in the construction industry has not only caused financial problems for workers, but personal difficulties as well within their families.
“We need jobs,” he said. “We need jobs now.”
The committee voted unanimously to advance the bill. State Sen. Michelle Kidani (D, Mililani-Waipio), who oversees state construction spending for the Senate, also outlined a draft for how the $500 million would be split within state departments. Some of the money overlaps with Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s $300 million request for new bond-financed construction projects.
Here is the breakdown of the Senate’s repair and maintenance money:
*Department of Education: $150 million
*State libraries: $3 million
*University of Hawaii: $90 million
*University of Hawaii community colleges: $25 million
*UH athletics: $12 million
*Department of Accounting and General Services: $60 million
*Department of Agriculture: $5 million
*Department of Defense: $5 million
*Department of Health: $30 million
*Hawaii Health Systems Corp.: $40 million
*Department of Human Services: $40 million
*Department of Land and Natural Resources: $20 million
*Department of Public Safety: $15 million
*Judiciary: $5 million
Political Radar
February 10th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
A suggestion. When you refer to a bill, it would be helpful if you provide a bill number or, more better, a link to the bill’s status page, so readers can quickly see what you are talking about. If a bill’s important enough to make your blog, it is probably important enough that people should watch it. Here’s a link:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2012&year=2012
I see 24 senators sponsored the bill, including Senator Slom. So which senator did not? And why not?
I applaud the idea of spending money to put construction workers back to work as well as take care of long deferred maintenance. Interest rates make it EXTREMELY cheap to borrow money right now. Sounds like a “win-win.”
BUT, I do have two concerns. While I like the idea of expedited procurement, I worry this may result in favoritism in the award of contracts. I hope there are still significant “due diligence” safeguards in place?
Related to that, is the “streamlining” of the permitting process. No one wants excessive delays in permitting. At the same time, “due diligence” is appropriate here as well. Requiring EAs or EISs, when appropriate, will help avoid environmentally destructive projects. Or, will force an examination of ways to mitigate negative impacts, while still moving forward. Hopefully, neighbors will still be informed about requests for significant projects, etc.
Since some construction interests ALWAYS want to eliminate permitting and environmental safeguards, I am hesitant to assume everyone has the best intentions with this bill. The devil is in the details.
But, overall, I agree it is a VERY good idea to pump public money into construction projects during this downturn. Let’s get our people back to work and money circulating through the pockets and purses of Hawaii’s consumers. It will quickly make its way through the cash registers of our small businesses as well.
Imua! (But with due diligence….)
February 10th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Seems all want to have more construction jobs since most construction companies “donate” to Hawaii leaders. No one is buying houses.
With all the land for houses there is no land to grow food.
Hawaii will only become another Rapa Nui.
Concrete building left behind like carved statues.
People who live here becoming Cannibals.
February 13th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
I’ve learned the blog post DOES contain a link to the bill, though it does not show up on my Mac, whether I am using Safari or Firefox. It is in the top line, in the words “state Senate bill.” The blog may want to factor this in for future posting by providing an explicit link viewable to lowly Mac users. Or, at a minimum, provide the bill number for easy reference?
Some readers simply want to kvetch online. But some of us are willing to look deeper into a bill and perhaps even submit testimony. Providing a clear link makes it more likely we will follow up.
Mahalo for your consideration.
February 14th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
I’m using firefox on a PC, and while the link works, I wouldn’t have known it’s there if Kolea hadn’t mentioned it. The link is written in the same font as the rest of the post, making it virtually invisible unless you move your cursor over it.
February 16th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
One should know that copy and paste is not original and is considered plagiarism.
You can tell who had money donated to them by construction companies. Construction in Hawaii is as stupid as stupid does.
February 16th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I was at a birthday party where one of the moms complained that her construction industry husband had been out of work for two years. Full of sympathy I suggested a slew of places where he could apply and asked if he had been successful applying for temp work. She said no he hadn’t tried any of those places. I then remembered that our workplace had vacancies and paid $2000 a month and we might be able to take him so they’d have some income while he got a permanent job. She replied, with a haughty face, that why should her husband work for $2000 a month when he gets $52 an hour as a construction worker? She proudly told all of us that her husband wouldn’t work for less than $52 an hour because that’s normal construction worker pay and nothing less is worth his time.
Two years out of a job and bills and rent to pay and he WON’T work for LESS than $52 an hour!! They’d rather go without income for two years than work for less than $52 an hour!! They’re collecting welfare and unemployment benefits rather than work for less than $52 an hour?? There are a heck of a lot of people out here who work for $7 an hour up to way less than $52 an hour so they can be responsible and support their families. They scrape by on what they earn from hard work — they don’t sit it out because they want a six-digit income!
He’s not the only one. At another party, three guys complained that they too were looking for work. I again offered suggestions. Again, our workplace had vacancies that paid $2000 a month and I was sure they’d get hired. $2000 a month — they laughed, shook their heads, and said no thanks. They were holding out for $85 an hour — again, construction related. They’d rather live off their families and state benefits than take honest work at a lower pay. Three guys this time laughed at the pay and refused to apply — they said “no thanks” to a low paying job that a lot of us have but we support our families scraping by.
Keep that in mind when construction workers ask for sympathy over “lack of” jobs. They CAN work for lower paying jobs rather than collecting benefits — they just don’t want to. The rest of us who are responsible and have families to support are not so haughty. We do take the jobs – it’s honest work. Don’t have so much pity on these guys who WON’T work UNLESS they get six digits. Baloney!