Hawaii’s Budget Relies on Federal Relief Funds to Avoid Cuts Lawmakers expected to have to make drastic cuts and enact furloughs when the session began in January. But with the $1.35 billion bailout from federal relief funds, the Legislature could approve the $31.2 billion budget. April 21, 2021 • (TNS) — Key Senate and House members agreed on a $31.2 billion state budget Tuesday over the next two fiscal years that relies on $1.35 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds and a resurging tourism economy to help avoid massive cuts, furloughs and even layoffs of state employees. "Going into session, we were expecting the worst, " House Speaker Scott Saiki told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "We weren't expecting any federal bailout, and we were expecting to make drastic cuts in the state budget. There was a lot of uncertainty in January."