In last-minute plea to Legislature, Maui’s mayor requests $125M for wildfire recovery aid

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Legislature is heading into its final week of decision-making — with debate continuing over the needs for Maui’s recovery.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen sent a last-minute plea for $125 million, which is getting a cool response amid pressure to do more for low-income residents.

Meanwhile on Monday, a coalition of advocates for workers rights, housing, tax reform and short-term rental conversion gathered to make a “distress call” to legislators.

Maui Wildfires Disaster

“The economy we have is one where the wealthy have an outsized influence on government and the economic policies it creates,” said Gavin Thornton, of Hawaii Appleseed.

“We are here today to bring strength, justice and wellbeing to Hawaii’s people and economy.”

Added Krizhna Bayudan, a Lahaina resident and Hawaii Workers Center advocate, “We can’t grow in this place, raise up our own kids in this place anymore because of profits over people.”

She added, “I think if we lose the momentum that we have right now because it has been such a prevalent issue in our lives for several months I think it will be lost forever.”

The funding negotiations at the Legislature Monday afternoon drew a huge crowd of insiders, including lobbyists and advocacy groups.

There was no public discussion of the Bissen letter, requesting $125 million to deal with everything from landfills for debris to housing for survivors.

So far, lawmakers have only offered about half that amount — and it’s in the form of a loan that maui county would have to pay back.

Bissen’s request is hard for lawmakers to accept because they are on a tight deadline with a lot of other demands, but they say they want to support Maui as best they can.

“New last-minute requests may have a difficult time,” said Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz. “Although there are opportunities with other bills once the budget passes.”

Lawmakers now have just five days to make all the big decisions, hopefully without descending into chaos like the session did on their last Friday deadline last year.

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