New director Will White shares future advocacy plans for Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center

Will White became director of the Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center (HBCP) in early 2022. He returned to his home neighborhood, Kalihi Valley, following several years as the Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs at United Way Bay Area. His main focus has been on utilizing Hawaiʻi’s state budget and tax code to foster economic security for Hawaiʻi’s communities. 

In this Q&A, White speaks on the intersection of health and economic well-being, as well as his short and long-term plans for HPBC.

State of Reform (SOR): What are your current priorities concerning Hawaiʻi’s economic welfare and access to care?

Will White (WW):  A lot of the budget center’s work is focused on budget issues and tax policy. So I’ve been really focused on that and how we can use the state budget and our tax code to forward economic security. In my previous role at United Way, we did a lot of advocacy  around access to care, particularly for the undocumented population. 

Nationally, there’s a gap in our ability to provide care for everyone in our communities. I would be interested in taking a closer look at if Hawaiʻi is actually going to provide for [the undocumented] population. As you know, we’re all healthier when everyone has access to care.

SOR: Are there specific policies HBPC is monitoring? 

WW: There’s an opportunity to turn Hawaiʻi’s reputation around when it comes to advocating for workers and working families. That [may] be quality access to care, getting access to other public benefits like food stamps, [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] program and getting access to refundable tax credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit, and our food excise credit and the renter’s credit. 

These are economic security issues, but they’re also health issues. We know one of the strongest drivers of health status and one of the strongest determinants of health is income. When you have steady and stable income, you are less likely to experience poor health outcomes. There are reams of research since the 1970s documenting this with the federal earned income tax credit, and its potential for improving the lives of those with young children and improving educational outcomes for children and families that received credit.