The House’s budget proposal for the coming year
Buoyed by increasing tax collections and continued federal relief funds, the state House sent the Senate an amended budget that proposes to increase the executive budget by $1.3 billion.
Hawaiʻi should eliminate its tipped sub-minimum wage
Research shows that employers frequently exploit tip credit provisions to pay their employees beneath the legal minimum wage. As a result, tipped workers tend to earn lower, less consistent wages than non-tipped workers, and they are more likely to experience poverty.
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.
Affordable housing—Hawaiʻi’s biggest challenge—requires comprehensive solutions
A new housing coalition is working to shape the start of a comprehensive and inclusive housing policy plan to finally address Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing crisis.
Hawaiʻi’s housing market is a nightmare for working families; it doesn’t have to be
For a majority of Hawaiʻi residents, the prospect of owning a home—or even finding an affordable place to rent—is increasingly out of reach.
Unsheltered can mean costly health problems; Hawaiʻi should invest in supportive housing
It may seem obvious, but getting people back into housing is essential to properly addressing their health needs.
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.
Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center director brings extensive organizing experience
Community organizer and a policy advocate Will White has worked on issues ranging from preserving natural resources to expanding the social safety net for vulnerable populations.
Our lack of decent, affordable housing costs us big time on healthcare
While the burden of poor health is surely felt most by the people who experience it, the whole community is affected.
Tax reform that addresses racial injustice also boosts the economy
When it comes to increasing both racial equity and economic prosperity, smart tax system reforms can be an effective policy tool to achieve both.
Federal spending reduced overall poverty last year despite the pandemic-recession
But in Hawaiʻi, tens of thousands of residents below the poverty line still struggled to make ends meet.
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.
Lawmakers must do more to invest in Hawaiʻi regenerative agriculture
The success of sustainable agriculture in Hawaiʻi will be contingent on sizable government investments in both small-scale farmers and the agencies that serve them.
Fix the conveyance tax reform bill; don’t veto it
Increased economic activity and federal relief funds will only go so far; policymakers need to think about longterm needs for our communities and how we’ll get the resources to pay for them.
Spending trends for Hawaiʻi’s children show we have lots of room for improvement
Our future depends on public investments in our children, but progress has stalled since the Great Recession.
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.
Following the money: Where Hawaiʻi’s budget is going over the 2021–2023 Fiscal Biennium
A breakdown of state spending over the next two years, authorized by the legislature through a variety of appropriations bills.
Highlights from the 2021–2023 Hawaiʻi budget
Critical federal pandemic relief funds will allow the state avoid damaging cuts and maintain its spending levels on investments in the community.