Kalbert Young, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the final few weeks of the 2025 Legislative session.
Aloha UH ʻOhana,
The Hawaiʻi State Legislature is entering the final few weeks of the 2025 legislative session, when the Senate and House will work together in conference committees to reconcile differences between their versions of the state budget, as well as other legislative measures that have survived the session thus far.
This legislative update will show the areas of budget support (or non support) for UH as the budget bill has progressed through the legislative session. It is clear that the governor and the House of Representatives have provided greater support for the University of Hawaiʻi than the Senate. The Senate recently passed its version of the budget that reflects a more constrained level of general fund support for UH in multiple key areas.
Medical school and cancer center
Despite support in the governor’s and House’s budgets, the Senate’s budget does not include additional general fund support for the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) for debt service or the UH Cancer Center to address debt service and operational costs.
This funding is particularly critical as federal funding for biomedical research is expected to decline under the new federal administration. Research at JABSOM and the Cancer Center remains essential to improving health outcomes for the people of Hawaiʻi.
Student housing
The Senate budget provides $252.9 million for UH Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) with a $120 million of that amount designated for new student and faculty housing at Kauaʻi Community College. The proposal disproportionately ignores the university’s specific request for capital funding support for existing student housing. While affordable housing is a challenging issue on every island in Hawaiʻi, the funding approach is not consistent with the request included in the UH Board of Regents approved budget or in the governor’s or House budgets.
The Senate also proposed to authorize nearly $120 million in capital funding for student housing at UH Mānoa. However, unlike the $120 million proposed for student housing at Kauaʻi CC, the arrangement is only to provide half of that funding in general obligation bonds. The other half would require UH revenue bonds for UH Mānoa student housing. Additionally, there are also Senate-imposed conditions, which would require UH to fund financial offsets of future room and board cost increases. While project investments are always important and critical, restrictions on expenditure flexibility can present challenges in managing long-standing deferred maintenance.
Athletics
The Senate budget does not provide for the continuation of funding for athletics, although it was included in the governor and House budgets. The House included $16 million in additional support for UH Mānoa and UH Hilo athletics, which was also not included in the Senate budget. As the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to evolve and with the absence of a stadium, sustaining a Division I program at UH Mānoa remains both a challenge and a priority for institutional and community vitality.
Position reductions
The Senate budget will eliminate 105.35 vacant full-time and 2.5 temporary positions across UH. Notably, only eight of these positions were supported by general funds; the remainder were funded through tuition and other sources. We are working to better understand the intent behind these reductions and their potential impacts.
Operating budget
As you will see in the table below, the UH Board of Regents-approved operating budget request sought $37.9 million in additional general funds for FY26 and $38.7 million for FY27. The House version of the budget appropriated $31.1 million for FY26 and $32.1 million for FY27.
The Senate version appropriated $5.0 million for FY26 and $5.5 million for FY27.
The following table compares the UH operating budget requests from the Board of Regents and the governor with the funding amounts proposed by the House and Senate.
| Campus | Description | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Regents | Governor | House | Senate | ||||||
| FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | ||
| Permanent Funding | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | Make Mānoa Athletics subsidy permanent | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | ||
| UH Mānoa | HIMB Positions from Act 181/23 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 | ||
| UH Mānoa | K–12 Expanded Teaching Cohort from Act 141/22 | $420,556 | $375,556 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Pamantasan Council from Act 64/23 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 |
| UH Hilo | Make Hilo Athletics subsidy permanent | $800,000 | $800,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| UH Hilo | Full Year funding for BS in Education Studies and Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 |
| UH Community Colleges | Windward CC Mental Health Tech Certificate of Competence Program from Act 107/24 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 |
| UH Community Colleges | Maui College Practical Nursing Bridge Program from Act 74/23 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 |
| UH Community Colleges | Pamantasan Council from Act 64/23 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 |
| Hawaiʻi Promise | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $8,683,397 | $8,683,397 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $920,938 | $920,938 | ||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $2,451,832 | $2,451,832 | ||||||
| Student Support | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | Financial Aid Counselors | $904,152 | $904,152 | $199,440 | $398,880 | $199,440 | $398,880 | $199,440 | $398,880 |
| UH Hilo | Retention Coordinator | $37,500 | $75,000 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Internship Coordinator | $37,500 | $75,000 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Student Enrollment Management | $432,500 | $640,000 | ||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | Admissions and Financial Aid | $213,600 | $213,600 | $37,650 | $75,300 | $37,650 | $75,300 | $37,650 | $75,300 |
| Workforce Development – Nursing | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | UH Mānoa-UH West Oʻahu Nursing Collaboration Phase III | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 |
| UH Mānoa | Online RN to BS Program | $111,984 | $111,984 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Increase School of Nursing cohort size | $297,500 | $595,000 | $357,500 | $475,000 | $357,500 | $475,000 | $357,500 | $475,000 |
| UH West Oʻahu | Pre-Nursing Pathway | $424,364 | $424,364 | $107,776 | $215,552 | $107,776 | $215,552 | $107,776 | $215,552 |
| Workforce Development – Other | |||||||||
| UH Hilo | Administration of Justice Program Expansion | $75,000 | $150,000 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Data Science Program | $42,500 | $85,000 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Biocultural Science Program | $85,000 | $170,000 | ||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | Teacher Preparation Programs | $90,455 | $90,455 | ||||||
| Medical Facilities | |||||||||
| JABSOM | Debt service for Kakaʻako Health and Wellness Campus | $2,725,000 | $2,725,000 | $1,108,019 | $1,533,463 | $1,108,019 | $1,533,463 | ||
| UH Cancer Center | Debt service and operational costs | $6,857,810 | $6,857,810 | $9,476,352 | $9,441,861 | $9,476,352 | $9,441,861 | ||
| Other Requests – Core Functions | |||||||||
| JABSOM | Central Chiller Plant Operations | $63,000 | $63,000 | ||||||
| UH Hilo | Groundskeepers | $101,280 | $202,560 | ||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | ACM Facilities and Core Services | $341,748 | $341,748 | $66,888 | $133,776 | $66,888 | $133,776 | $66,888 | $133,776 |
| UH System | Information Security | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | ||||||
| Other | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | Expand Concussion Education to Middle Schools | $200,000 | $200,000 | ||||||
| JABSOM | Focus on cardiovascular disease and treatment | $700,000 | $700,000 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Convert Athletics Positions and Additional Support | $4,519,341 | $4,519,341 | $320,000 | $320,000 | $320,000 | $320,000 | ||
| Governor’s Message | |||||||||
| UH Mānoa | Pamantasan Council (additional funds) | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | ||
| UH Mānoa | Economic and Policy Research at UHERO | $480,000 | $480,000 | $480,000 | $480,000 | $480,000 | $480,000 | ||
| UH Mānoa | Athletics | $12,800,000 | $12,800,000 | $12,800,000 | $12,800,000 | ||||
| UH Hilo | Rat lungworm research | $200,000 | $200,000 | $1 | $1 | $200,000 | $200,000 | ||
| UH Hilo | Athletics | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | ||||
| UH Community Colleges | Pamantasan Council (additional funds) | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | ||
| UH System | Peace Program support staff | $150,000 | $150,000 | $1 | $1 | ||||
| House Adjustment | |||||||||
| UH System | I Hoa Nā Moʻolelo | $179,378 | $179,378 | ||||||
| Senate Adjustment | |||||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | 3 positions for Henry Giugni Moving Image Archive | $754,644 | $719,203 | ||||||
| UH Community Colleges | 1 APT and Equipment for Water Quality Lab at UH Maui College | $125,000 | $125,000 | ||||||
| UH Community Colleges | AI-Based Career Pathways Program | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Reduce 1 Permanent, 0.5 Temporary FTE Counts | ||||||||
| JABSOM | Reduce 1 Permanent, 1 Temporary FTE Count | ||||||||
| UH Hilo | Reduce 1 Permanent FTE Count | ||||||||
| UH Community Colleges | Reduce 5 Permanent, 1 Temporary FTE Counts and Funds | -$491,839 | -$491,839 | ||||||
| TOTAL | $37,895,161 | $38,733,941 | $31,311,829 | $32,232,036 | $31,141,209 | $32,061,416 | $5,099,145 | $5,592,958 | |
Non-recurring items in red.
Capital Improvement Projects budget:
UH requested $381.0 million for FY26 and $331.2 million for FY27. The House version appropriated $229.8 million for FY26 and $43.5 million for FY27.
The Senate version appropriated $252.9 million for FY26, keeping in mind that close to half of this amount is for a single project ($120 million for Kauaʻi CC student housing) and $78.5 million for FY27.
The following table compares the UH CIP requests from the Board of Regents and the governor with the funding amounts proposed by the House and Senate.
| Campus | Project Description | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Regents | Governor | House | Senate | ||||||
| FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | ||
| UH System/Mānoa | RIM Projects | $100,000,000 | $100,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 | |
| UH Mānoa | *Student Housing Services Improvements | $61,500,000 | $57,000,000 | $25,000,000 | $25,000,000 | $30,750,000 | $28,500,000 | $30,750,000 | $28,500,000 |
| UH Mānoa | Assessment and Feasibility of Hamilton Library | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | |||||
| UH Mānoa | Waikīkī Aquarium Improvements | $4,000,000 | $1,702,000 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Athletics Improvements | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | |||||
| UH Mānoa | Holmes Hall | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | ||||
| UH Mānoa | PV Rooftop and Canopies and Various Energy Efficiency Projects | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Mini Master Plan Phase 3-Kuykendall Hall | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | |||||
| UH Mānoa | Admin Office and Parking Phase I and II | $9,000,000 | |||||||
| UH Hilo | RIM Projects | $29,625,000 | $22,685,000 | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | ||
| UH Hilo | Puakō Marine Education and Research Center, Phase I | $750,000 | |||||||
| UH West Oʻahu | RIM Projects | $6,900,000 | $5,000,000 | $6,500,000 | $4,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | ||
| UH Community Colleges | Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance | $37,500,000 | $25,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | ||
| UH Community Colleges | Minor CIP | $37,500,000 | $25,000,000 | $37,500,000 | |||||
| UH Community Colleges | Kapiʻolani CC-Kauila and Kopiko Renovations for Health Sciences | $34,800,000 | |||||||
| UH Community Colleges | Honolulu CC-Technology Renovations, Phase 2 | $32,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | |||||
| UH Community Colleges | UH Maui College-Heona Modernization | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | ||||||
| UH Community Colleges | UH Maui College-Hale Modernization | $12,000,000 | |||||||
| UH Community Colleges | Windward CC–Alakaʻi Building Renovation | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 | ||||||
| UH Mānoa | Land Acquisition for former St. Francis Property | $1,000 | |||||||
| UH Mānoa | Waimānalo CTAHR CARES center | $5,500,000 | |||||||
| UH Mānoa | Magoon Research Station | $6,000,000 | |||||||
| UH System | Demolition of Undersea Laboratory Building (Makai Pier) | $500,000 | |||||||
| UH System | Project Adjustment Fund | $4,000 | |||||||
| UH System | Kauaʻi CC – Student Housing and Faculty/Staff Housing | $120,000,000 | |||||||
| TOTAL | $381,025,000 | $331,235,000 | $145,500,000 | $114,500,000 | $229,755,000 | $43,500,000 | $252,952,000 | $78,500,000 | |
*The House and Senate also added $30,750,000 in FY26 and $28,500,000 in FY27 in revenue bond appropriation for Student Housing.
Looking ahead
Given the current state of global and national economics, the State and Legislature is facing the challenge of dealing with the impacts on many competing priorities and limited resources. These are also impacting our University of Hawaiʻi. Now is the time to watch for where efforts to support higher education programs and services in Hawaiʻi materialize.
As the conference committee begins its work, UH leadership and supporters will continue to advocate for the university’s priorities. We remain hopeful that through collaboration, we can secure the resources needed to advance UH’s mission and serve the people of Hawaiʻi.
The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 2, 2025. Until then, we will continue to monitor the process closely and will provide a final update when the session ends and the budget bill is made public.
Mahalo for your time and attention,
Kalbert Young
Vice President for Budget and Finance/Chief Financial Officer
