This paper tracks the Hawai‘i state budget process during 2013, a time when the state's slow economic recovery was hampered by federal budget sequestration and the loss of US Senator Dan Inouye who excelled at steering federal funds to the state. The final budget reflected a few minor policy victories for Governor Abercrombie with the legislature leaning to the side of fiscal prudence.

In introducing his adjustment request to the biennial budget for FY 2015, Hawai‘i’s bombastic governor, Neil Abercrombie, crowed over a $1.1 billion turnaround in the state’s budgetary fortunes during his first term.  However, revenue projections came in far below expectations, leading to a largely status-quo budget passed by the legislature in 2014.  The lack of funding for his policy initiatives, combined with a number of missteps by the governor that angered his core constituency, caused him to lose his party’s nomination for reelection to State Senator David Ige in the 2014 Democratic primary.

In 2014, Hawai‘i’s incumbent governor, Neil Abercrombie, failed to win his party’s nomination for reelection.  Because incoming governor, David Ige, took his oath of office a mere two weeks before the biennial budget was due, the budget request prepared by the Abercrombie administration was sent to the legislature.  The new governor and his staff rushed to put together proposed changes, and the adjusted request was received more than a month after the legislature began work on the budget.  Some of the governor’s adjustments were accommodated, but many were not funded to the extent  requested.  The budget package that emerged left little wiggle room for the governor to finance new pet projects and policy proposals.