• Highway funds Highway funds Voters have been hearing a lot of misinformation lately about the state highway fund, and I would like to set the record straight. The state highway fund by law can never go below 135% of
• Highway funds
Highway funds
Voters have been hearing a lot of misinformation lately about the state highway fund, and I would like to set the record straight.
The state highway fund by law can never go below 135% of what the Department of Transportation says it needs to do highway work. The extra 35% is there to meet unforeseen needs, and the legislature has never failed to meet this requirement.
Whenever the legislature authorizes the transfer of excess funds from the highway fund, it is money that is over and above the 135% requirement.
However, excess funds can only be transferred from the highway fund if the Director of Budget and Finance agrees the funds are excess and needed elsewhere. Therefore, the legislature does not have the final say in such matters; the administration does.
Finally, there is no federal match for any excess funds that just sit idle in the highway fund. The federal government only matches highway funds that are actually spent. Playing a multiplication game with the numbers does not make sense.
Everything the Department of Transportation has requested for highway projects has been funded. Moreover, from what I have been told, any delays that occur in carrying out highway projects are more likely the result of the Department not having enough project managers and engineers on staff to do the work.
I hope this clarifies matters for anyone who may be concerned about this issue.
Bertha C. Kawakami
Representative, 16th House District
West Kaua‘i & Ni‘ihau
