The U.S. Senate Committee Appropriations has approved $78 million for labor, health and education programs in Hawai’i, with the bulk going to education programs for children of military and government personnel and Native Hawaiians. Funding, not determined at this time,
The U.S. Senate Committee Appropriations has approved $78 million for labor, health and education programs in Hawai’i, with the bulk going to education programs for children of military and government personnel and Native Hawaiians.
Funding, not determined at this time, will be set aside for job counseling and training program for unemployed Kauaians.
The programs proposed for funding are included in a 2002 fiscal year appropriation bill for the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health, Human Services and other related agencies, said U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawai’i), a senior member of the Senate committee.
The bill will be sent to the Senate for approval, then to a House-Senate conference committee and to Congress before it is sent to President Bush to be signed into law.
Kauai’s share of the funding will go to the Cooperative Education Project, sponsored by the Hawai’i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, according to Sandi Skousen, press secretary for Inouye.
Similar programs eligible for the funding are planned to be implemented in other counties in Hawai’i, Skousen said
Last year, $185,000 was appropriated for the Kaua’i program, she said.
Overall, the $78 million includes funding for the Native Hawaiian Education Act and Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, Inouye said.
Since their enactment in 1988, nearly $115 million has been appropriated for education programs and almost $36 million has been provided for health programs benefiting Hawaiians, Inouye said.
This time around, the Senate committee has proposed $33 million for Native Hawaiian education programs that develop curricula for students, train and recruit teachers and support education councils statewide.
In addition, another $3.5 millions is proposed for strengthening the Native Hawaiian Serving Institution program, now in its third year and is a part of Title III, a law providing grants to improve colleges and universities.
Another $3.5 million is proposed for a similar program in Alaska.
Another $40 million is proposed for the Hawai’i Impact Aid project, which provides support to children of members of the armed forces and federal government employees. For the current fiscal year, the Hawai’i program received $30 million.
The rest of the $78 million is proposed for these projects, including:
– $1.7 million for the Kuhio Park Terrace Community on Oahu.
– Hansen’s Disease treatment.
– Rural Development Project Rural Job Training Initiative.
– Samoan and Asian Pacific Islander Job Training Project.
– Native Hawaiian Vocational Education for Alu Like.
– New Trade Winds Initiative.
– The Pacific Islands Center for Educational Development.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
