State fund aims to get more kids walking to school. Will they be safer?
The funds won’t be released until early next year, but the transportation department is looking at ways to expedite processes so work can begin within four months of receipt.
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.
Housing: Lawmakers fund more housing, not special treatment for locals
Housing advocates unsuccessfully pushed for bills that would have given cash incentives for deed restrictions that require a property owner to be a resident working in the state.
Progress report: Hawaiʻi’s working families need more support
Advocates for working families are concerned that bad things are coming with federal cuts and hoped the legislature would do more to increase the state’s safety net.
State passes a bill to expand free school meal access
The bill, SB1300, will go into effect with the upcoming 2025-26 school year and will cover students whose family income is not more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Bill offering displaced tenants protections dies at legislature
The bill’s supporters said one state Senator was responsible for the outcome
State fund eyed for workforce housing subsidies
House Bill 432 would allow part of the state’s rental housing revolving fund to go toward financing development of apartments for households earning between 60–140 percent of a county’s annual median income.
The Sunshine Blog: Look who’s taking big city council pay raises after all
The budget process during conference committee is confusing. These resources can help.
Expand free school meals, because all keiki deserve to eat
SB 1300 would be an enormous step in the right direction, putting Hawaiʻi on a secure pathway toward ensuring all our keiki can achieve and thrive during the school day and throughout their lifetimes.
Trump's actions prompt surge in public forums as worries about cutbacks climb
Hawaiʻi’s elected leaders are using town halls to help people understand what’s happening and what they are doing about it.
Registration tax could increase for Hawaiʻi vehicles over 4,000 pounds
State lawmakers are considering increasing the tax on registering large vehicles to fund the Safe Routes to School Program.
State collects money from home builders for new schools. It’s never spent a dime
Lawmakers and housing advocates say the fee should be eliminated because the state hasn’t used the money. DOE says the rules on spending it are too restrictive.
Child advocates, parents discuss bill to expand free and reduced meals for Hawaiʻi keiki
A community forum was held Saturday at McKinley High School to discuss a senate bill that would expand access to free and reduced-price meals for public school keiki.
Federal cuts put our communities at risk
With looming federal freezes on funding, services and jobs, community organizations are faced with the challenge of serving their communities under increasingly dire circumstances.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers are pushing for car-free fun zones—but not on Oʻahu
Some Oʻahu lawmakers worry the program could snarl traffic in their districts.
Hawaiʻi could raise its capital gains tax to 9%
Lawmakers are considering increasing the capital gains tax from about 7–9 percent.
Are jaywalking tickets in Hawaiʻi doing more harm than good? A new report breaks it down
The report claims ticketing for jaywalking and other minor infractions doesn’t actually make streets safer, but instead shifts focus and resources away from more effective solutions, like better street design.
New policy brief proposes targeted tax relief for struggling Hawaiʻi families
As local families continue to leave Hawaiʻi due to the high cost of living, Hawaiʻi Appleseed stresses the urgency for additional legislative action to help those at risk of homelessness.
The price of hunger: Navigating the cost burden of free meals for Hawaiʻi students
Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s “Equity on the Menu” shows a cost estimate of $26 million per year. This would be 1.2 percent of the Hawaiʻi DOE’s overall annual budget, set this year at just over $2 billion.
Senate bill advances to strip county council approval of state-funded housing projects
A bill to exempt state-financed housing developments from county council approval has passed second reading on the Hawaiʻi Senate floor and advanced to the Ways and Means Committee.