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In a bipartisan agreement announced today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (in a 369–47 vote) a farm bill agreement that supports the food security of nearly 170,000 Hawai‘i residents through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill passed both houses of Congress overwhelmingly and is now on its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The bipartisan bill also includes provisions that invest in our island’s…

For many children, the breakfast and lunch they get at school is the only healthy food they eat all day. School meals are critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students. These meals ensure that students have the nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that school meal programs reduce food insecurity, obesity rates and poor health, and improve learning outcomes for participating students. In addition, school meal nutrition standards are having a positive impact…

Over the years, the media has often reported that Hawai‘i incomes are among the highest in the nation. If that doesn’t sound quite right to you, trust your gut.

In the past, the U.S. Census Bureau has publicly released information about household and family incomes, but not individual incomes. So while the media is correct to report that we have, for example, the 4th highest median household income in the nation in 2017, they’re not reporting that we have…

Hawai‘i has a serious problem: not enough roofs to shelter all our people. And the problem is only getting worse. Between 2011-2014, our state increased its housing stock by 8,458 but, at this pace, we will not be able to generate the additional 24,551 units we need by the…

We feel the high cost of living here in Hawaiʻi every day, whether we’re deciding whether or not we can afford the price for a gallon of milk, or we’re trying to wrap our brains around how the median cost of a single-family home on Oʻahu has skyrocketed to $810,000. We talk about how our wages, when adjusted to consider the high cost of living here, are the lowest in the nation. So, in examining the newly released census…

All through September, 2018, when you visit your local Safeway location in Hawaiʻi, you’ll see signs advertising the annual Hunger Is fundraiser, sponsored by the Albertsons Companies Foundation. When you checkout with your cashier, you’ll have the option to donate to this important fundraiser aimed at expanding participation in school breakfast programs and combating childhood hunger. The foundation has once again selected Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, …

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) recently released a report, “The Impact of the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) on Hawai‘i Households,” which analyzed the effects of the new federal tax law on Hawai‘i households in 2018.  This report, which was featured in an article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, concluded that the lowest-income taxpayers in Hawai‘i would see large savings from the TCJA, while those at the top would pay more.…

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Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice Releases “Hawai?i Vacation Rentals: Impact on Housing & Hawai?i’s Economy”

Honolulu, HI, MARCH 22, 2018 — The Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice is releasing a report entitled “Hawai?i Vacation Rentals: Impact on Housing & Hawai?i’s Economy,” which explores the consequences…