Taxes and Spending

August 2010

Exposing Hawaii’s Special Funds: Excess Balances of $1.4 Billion Raid Hawaii’s Taxpayers

Danny de Gracia, II and Kyle Shiroma

In the last three years, nearly all fifty states saw government budgets operating in the red as a result of the global economic crisis. The fallout of the meltdown gained considerable notoriety in Hawaii as the determination was made to compensate for the revenue shortfall in part by implementing a temporary furlough of Department of Education personnel. The Hawaii State Legislature, faced with mounting public opposition to “Furlough Fridays” and insufficient revenues to maintain current levels of spending, considered a variety of funding mechanisms, one of which included the use of raiding funds designated on state budget worksheets as “B” means of financing (MOFs), or “special funds,” as it was believed that a number of these accounts were either in excess of their operational requirements or funded mandates which had sunset. (more)

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Taxes and Spending

March 2010

2010 Pork Report!

Co-authored by Hideo Hikida, Frances Nuar, and Jamie Story, the second annual 2010 Hawaii Pork Report reveals more than $300 million in waste, abuse, and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. Click on to see the full report and press release (more)

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