WASHINGTON — Hawai'i lawmakers funneled more than $283 million in federal spending to the state for special projects in the current fiscal year, according to a report released yesterday.

Citizens Against Government Waste found that the state received $220.63 per resident in "earmark spending," ranking second nationally to Alaska, which received $555.54 per capita. The national average was $30.55.

The report from the conservative non-profit group singled out a few Hawai'i projects for special attention, including a $259,173 earmark for floriculture research obtained by Sens. Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel Akaka and Rep. Mazie Hirono, all Hawai'i Democrats.

The report said that Hawai'i's floriculture and nursery products industry brings in about $100 million a year in revenue.

"Surely, the industry can afford (a quarter of a) percent of its blooming revenue to do its own research," the report said.

Akaka's spokesman, Jesse Broder Van Dyke, said the senator is proud to secure funding supporting diversification of the state economy, "even if it leads a Mainland group to criticize one of our state's top industries."

Citizens Against Government Waste said that in 2007, Congress approved spending $17.2 billion on 11,610 projects this fiscal year.

"When Congress adopted earmark reforms last year, there was hope that the number and cost of earmarks would be cut in half," said Tom Schatz, president of the group. "That has not occurred."

The report said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, was fourth highest among House members in the value of earmarks obtained, $153.6 million.

But Abercrombie said the report is "so completely dishonest, it's difficult to take seriously." The group overstates earmarks by listing the full amount of a project under every lawmaker who supports it, he said.

"If 50 members support a $1 million appropriation for homeless veterans' services, it shows up ... 50 times and looks like $50 million," Abercrombie said.

He said he earmarked almost $500,000 to expand the Honolulu Police Department crime lab, more than $15 million for Honolulu rail transit, $5.5 million to begin cleaning up World War II chemical munitions dumped off O'ahu and other islands.

"This Citizens Against Government Waste classify these as 'pork,' " Abercrombie said.

The report said Inouye was responsible for obtaining 25 projects in the defense budget, ranging from $25 million for a health program to $2 million for brown tree snake control.

The group again gave Inouye, chairman of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee, "The Pacific Fleeced Award" for obtaining $173.2 million in defense earmarks last year. He also received the award in 2006 for directing $482 million in federal spending that year to Hawai'i.

Inouye is proud of his defense-related earmarks, said Mike Yuen, spokesman for Inouye.

"They help to protect Hawai'i and the nation, care for wounded warriors and their families and shield Hawai'i's fragile and unique ecosystem from brown tree snakes traveling on military transport from Guam, where they have caused much damage," Yuen said.

Yuen also challenged the credibility of Citizens Against Government Waste, saying the group was reported in 2006 to have been involved with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and lobbied for the tobacco industry.

A 2006 Senate Finance Committee report found that Citizens Against Government Waste was among five conservative nonprofit organizations that accepted money from Abramoff's clients and produced so-called independent newspaper op-ed columns or news releases that favored his clients' positions, according to The Washington Post and St. Petersburg Times.

At the time, the group said that it never abused its nonprofit tax status and adhered to long-held positions.