(AP) — Hawaiʻi lawmakers have passed amendments to several bills as requested by Gov. David Ige, including one that uses general funds to repay debt instead of federal COVID-19 relief funds. House Finance Committee chairwoman Rep. Sylvia Luke explained that lawmakers and the Ige administration had agreed during the spring legislative session to use the relief money to repay debt. But then the U.S. Treasury Department issued guidance the day after lawmakers adjourned saying they money could not be used for that purpose. The House and Senate each passed the amended bill unanimously, and Ige signed it into law immediately after.
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