Can Hawaiʻi turn around another deadly year on the roads?
An executive order emphasizes enforcement and safety education, but data shows infrastructure is also a major factor in many fatal accidents.
Why understanding Hawaiʻi’s budget is an important civic duty
An engaged and informed public is the most powerful tool for change we have.
Honolulu’s early eviction mediation and rental assistance program’s success
The next step is for more opportunities to uplift the statewide efforts advancing housing stability through early intervention and cross-sector collaboration.
No one will say why school lunch costs Hawaiʻi DOE $9 a plate
Lawmakers have pushed the education department for more details on the costs of running its school meal program.
No income tax for working class? Unions float radical proposal
A better approach would be to expand an existing state tax credit that was created to offset some of the impact of the excise tax on food, or to create a new child tax credit to support working families.
On right path with bikeways, walkways
Reducing vehicle travel can improve air quality, cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce traffic congestion and enhance public safety.
A Hawaiʻi state budget for dummies
In case you haven’t noticed, Hawaiʻi’s state budget is a very difficult thing to make sense of unless you’re trained as a forensic accountant. Thankfully, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center has released a Budget Primer to make things simpler.
Do jaywalkers in Hawaiʻi even get tickets?
Yes, thousands of people in Hawaiʻi are ticketed each year, at rates higher than other states, according to a report by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.
Bill advances allowing pedestrians to safely jaywalk
Legislators appear willing to make jaywalking legal across the islands—when safe—arguing in a Senate bill that pedestrians’ judgments are better at reducing injuries and deaths than traffic lights and traffic markings.
Lawmakers should embrace keiki credit
Given Hawaiʻi’s rising cost of living and the corresponding increase in child poverty, lawmakers should seize the opportunity to establish a state-level Child Tax Credit to provide tax relief for working families with children.
Rebalance Hawaiʻi’s upside-down tax code to achieve prosperity for all
We are the third-worst state when it comes to taxing struggling working families.
Is it unethical to vacation in Hawaiʻi?
Despite the economic revenue that the tourism industry generates, Native Hawaiians point out that residents aren’t partaking in those profits.
Bill aims to keep more kupuna eligible for SNAP benefits
Seniors whose eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits has been lost or reduced by a recent increase in Social Security benefits could see relief through a bill introduced by Hawaii U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda last week.
Hawaiʻi ‘survival budget’ hits $104,052, report finds
The annual “household survival budget” for a Hawaiʻi family of four in 2021 at $104,052, up 15 percent from 2018. The figure drops to $85,812 when assorted earned income and child tax credits are factored in.
Hawaiʻi’s working moms deserve (child tax) credit
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we must do more than simply celebrate the thousands of working moms out there—we need to deliver tax justice to them and their families.
Hawaiʻi taxpayers are paying a high cost for evictions
Every year there are about 2,500 evictions in the islands. And many fear more people will be out on the streets because of the high cost of housing.
It’s gotten both worse and better for struggling working families
The good news is that 17 Hawaiʻi nonprofits are helping working families become more financially stable, find affordable housing, and get involved in policy.
Tap more child nutrition, school-lunch subsidies for isle keiki
The “Feed Our Keiki” report finds that the federal school meal reimbursement rates for Hawaiʻi currently should be 62% higher than other states, but it has been stuck at only 17% higher since 1979.
Oʻahu nonprofits to get $4.5M to address housing and financial woes
The 17 organizations will work together to help solve critical problems facing the island’s working families.
Editorial: Hope on horizon for more housing
Might this be the year that Hawaiʻi truly moves forward in providing affordable housing to its residents? With as much as $1 billion in overall funding for housing under discussion as the state legislature reaches its home stretch, it’s possible.