Transformative change meets budget realities—a central lawmaking tension plays out in two new reports
Policy in Perspective 2025 and the Hawaiʻi Budget Primer FY2025–26 provide a compelling—and sometimes sobering—look at how Hawaiʻi invests, and often under-invests, in its communities.
Incoming federal tax cuts will heavily favor Hawaiʻi’s wealthiest residents
The State of Hawaiʻi has an obligation to shore up its revenue through tax policies that make the wealthiest among us pay their fair share.
How to fix Honolulu’s Empty Homes Tax proposal
A newly released report commissioned by the county council demonstrates the need to align Honolulu’s policy proposal with demonstrated best practices.
Invest in Safe Routes to School to improve pedestrian safety in Hawaiʻi
Federal funding freezes, requirements from the Navahine lawsuit settlement, and worsening traffic and its associated negative impacts—why state lawmakers shouldn't wait to invest in Safe Routes to School.
Census poverty data for 2023 highlights the importance of government assistance
Promising trends for families across the nation, but many continue to feel the lasting effects of widespread unemployment during the pandemic, a rising cost of living, and inadequate government assistance.
What Finland can teach us about ending homelessness in Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi can end homelessness. It starts with a mindset shift: housing is a human right, and the cost to provide housing to each and every person in Hawaiʻi is well worth the necessary investment in public resources.
A Hawaiʻi Child Tax Credit would keep thousands of keiki out of poverty
After the expiration of the expanded federal Child Tax Credit, poverty rates spiked—it’s time for Hawaiʻi lawmakers to step up and fill the gap.
2022 legislative session: A big win for working families; but more must be done
Legislators adopted two priority economic justice policies to deliver a significant household income boost to hundreds of thousands of Hawaiʻi workers.
Now is the right time to expand Hawaiʻi’s Earned Income Tax Credit
In 2021, 12 states and D.C. recognized the devastating effects of the pandemic recession and improved their EITCs to support their working families. Hawaiʻi should join them.
Expanding economic opportunity with the Hawaiʻi EITC
Expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit to make it refundable would put more money back in the pockets of Hawaiʻi's working families, strengthening the local economy.
Put more money in working people’s pockets and reduce housing costs
This legislative session, Hawaiʻi Appleseed is pushing hard to implement a significant minimum wage increase, expand successful tax credits for low-income families, and lay the groundwork for housing policy that will mean no one in Hawaiʻi is left unsheltered because of poverty.
A pandemic recession update in charts
Unprecedented job loss, a rise in housing costs, and inflation in food, fuel and consumer goods has made the pandemic recession especially devastating to Hawaiʻi’s working families.
Solving Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis means building smart, not just more
An analysis of Maui’s housing stock demonstrates that, although Hawaiʻi is building more housing, we’re not building it at the prices that meet demand from local residents.
Tax fairness is popular and needed for Hawaiʻi’s future
Most taxpayers agree that a fair and effective tax system is a critical part of building Hawaiʻi’s future.
Making Hawaiʻi's housing market work for local residents
Investors are buying up more of Hawaiʻi’s homes than ever before because our current system encourages them to do so—that’s bad for our economy in the long run.
What’s included in the new federal coronavirus aid and what was left out?
The $900 billion COVID relief agreement provides urgently-needed relief to Hawaiʻi’s families, but the short timeline is worrisome and several important items were left out of the final deal.
We need a visitor recreation fee to benefit Hawaiʻi
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our dependency on tourism, and the need to create a more sustainable and less exploitative version of the industry.
After school supper is a big missed opportunity in Hawaiʻi
Only 182 Hawaiʻi children benefited from after school suppers on an average weekday in 2017, according to a new report from the Food Research and Action Center.
Incomes in Hawaiʻi are not as high as you’ve heard: Here’s why
Over the years, the media has often reported that Hawaiʻi incomes are among the highest in the nation. If that doesn’t sound quite right to you, trust your gut.
Official poverty data obscures the reality faced by many Hawaiʻi residents
If you hear Hawaiʻi has one of the lowest official poverty rates in the nation, remember that doesn’t take into account our highest-in-the-nation cost of living.