Aloha Chair Sugimura and Members of the Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee,
My name is Ralph Cushnie , and I am a contractor based on the island of Kauai. I submit this testimony in strong opposition to Bill 54, which proposes mandatory Community Workforce Agreements (Project Labor Agreements) on all Maui County capital improvement projects exceeding $500,000.
As a concerned contractor, I believe unions are private enterprises — not arms of government — and they should not be granted exclusive control over who gets to work on taxpayer-funded projects. Bill 54 would compel non-union, local contractors to sign union-style agreements, regardless of their long-standing contributions, training programs, or workforce investments.
This legislation risks excluding open-shop contractors, many of whom are small, family-run businesses or DBEs. These firms support local jobs, pay fair wages, and provide alternative pathways for workforce development — without requiring union affiliation.
PLAs also reduce competition and increase construction costs — studies show by up to 18%. At a time when Hawaii residents are struggling with affordability, we should be encouraging open competition, not limiting it.
Maui’s public projects should reflect the diverse makeup of its community, not be monopolized by a single labor structure. I urge you to vote NO on Bill 54 and support policies that are fair, inclusive, and respectful of local contractors statewide.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
Ralph Cushnie
Vice President

CUSHNIE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. Lic. # ABC-28974
Certified UDBE/HUBZone
Office: 808.332.9000 Ext. 4 • Cell: 808.645.0955
Fax: 808.332.9400 • Email: ralph@cushniecci.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 910 • Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii 96741
Physical Address: 4702 Lae Road • Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii 96741

Testimonies received from BFED Committee 04-22-2025

Aloha Chair and Committee members,
The requests that I made during testimony today are:
1 – Add conditional language under Department of Fire and Public Safety, Fire Prevention Program, “Transfer $250,000 to the Fire Hazard Removal Revolving Fund.” The funding is already in the budget, but the earmark language was inadvertently omitted.
2 – Move the animal management rates and fees from Human Concerns, Special Revenue/Trust and Agency Fund to the Department of Agriculture/Trust and Agency Fund. These are on Page 19 and 20 of Appendix B.
3 – Section 21 of the General Budget Provisions: The purpose of this section was to alleviate some of the administrative burden of the budget amendment process. Currently, amendments are submitted which reflect any other amendments that have passed in the fiscal year. However, when amendments go to committee, other amendments are often in process at Council which necessitates an update of the numbers between passage at committee and posting at Council. This takes time from OCS, the Budget Office, and Corporation Counsel. This proposal would replace that process with a quarterly report generated by Budget Office in collaboration with OCS to provide updated numbers on a regular basis to the Council and the public.

Please let me know if you need any additional information. Thank you very much.

Lesley Milner, Budget Director
County of Maui

Aloha Chair and Council Members,
I am writing to respectfully request an amendment to the current FY 2026 budget proviso designating $300,000 for healthcare services on Molokai.
While I support investments in Molokai’s healthcare infrastructure, I urge the Council to consider broadening the language of this proviso to allow equitable access for all qualified healthcare providers on the island. Rather than earmarking this funding for a specific entity, the funds would better serve the Molokai community if allocated under a general “Molokai Healthcare” proviso.
This would ensure that long-standing providers with a proven commitment to the island and new, community-centered initiatives alike are given the opportunity to apply and compete for these vital resources. Molokai continues to face a critical shortage of comprehensive medical services, and all providers working to meet those needs deserve fair and transparent access to public funds.
Please consider this request as a step toward more inclusive and community-driven healthcare funding for Molokai.
Mahalo for your time and service