U.S. Congress
Members of Congress pass laws that create and fund public works projects using federal dollars. They also pass legislation to authorize programs that provide federal aid to states in areas such as transportation and education. Members of Congress, especially senators, have the ability to direct federal funds to favored state and local projects.
In 1959, Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1959, which resulted in the Department of Commerce’s recommendation that Hawaiʻi be included in the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, with further recommendations for highways to connect Schofield Barracks, Diamond Head, and Kāneʻohe Naval Air Station with Pearl Harbor. Congress has also passed laws to protect the environment and cultural heritage such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, two laws that greatly affected the planning and construction of H-3.
Daniel K. Inouye (1924-2012) was the longtime senior senator representing Hawaiʻi. He began his political career in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1959-1962. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and served until his death in 2012. In the Senate, Inouye chaired several committees, particularly the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which determines how to allocate funds to federal agencies. In general, senators have the ability to insert funding for local projects into appropriations bills, a process called earmarking. Senator Inouye was known for liberally using this power to fund projects in Hawaiʻi such as highways. In the H-3 story, Senator Inouye used his influence to steer federal highway funds to the project. In addition, he and Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, along with Representatives Neil Abercrombie and Daniel Akaka, backed the bill that became Public Law No. 99-551, which exempted H-3 from the requirements of Section 4(f) of the Transportation Act.
The papers of Senators Inouye, Matsunaga, and Akaka and Representative Abercrombie are at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library.