Hawai‘i Delays Paying Nation Guard Members

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa issued a statement regarding Hawai‘i’s delays in paying National Guard members and Gov. David Ige’s administration’s belated attempts to fix the problem.

Rep. Hanabusa said the situation was created by not deeming their pay a priority from the start.

“It’s inexcusable and disrespectful to our National Guard members and their families that it took calls from the media and others to get personnel paid for the work they are doing to help our communities recover from the devastating April rains and flooding and the ongoing Kīlauea eruption. We cannot take men and women away from their jobs and deploy them to dangerous disaster zones without ensuring they are compensated for their work in a timely manner.

“Under my leadership, our guard members would not have been told to wait in the first place. I would have exercised the full authority of the Governor’s Office to find a way to get our guard members paid from the start. The governor and comptroller have broad authority to expedite paychecks, especially in an emergency. If payroll modernization is taking too long, then handwrite them.

“Leadership is about setting priorities and having the will and sense of urgency to make things happen—not making bureaucratic excuses. As governor, I will demand this of my entire administration and have the right people in place who share that willingness, decisiveness and ability to get things done from day one.”