Hawaiʻi coalition calls for tax fairness for local needs
As Hawaiʻi struggles to meet growing needs in housing, education, health care and climate resilience, a broad coalition of community groups, labor unions and nonprofit advocates is pushing lawmakers to confront a long-standing question: how to pay for it.
New online tool shows disparities between communities on basic needs
Annalisa Burgos asks Hawaiʻi Appleseed how its Economic Justice Data Dashboard can help focus government spending.
New year, new parking law
As of January 1, a new Hawaiʻi law now requires drivers to park at least 20 feet away from any crosswalk or intersection.
5 Questions: Will White, Appleseed Hawaiʻi executive director
This year marks an inflection point for Hawaiʻi. We can either accept the federal government’s retreat from our public benefits system, or reinvent and reinvest in new systems that work to support Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable families.
Green suggests Hawaiʻi might scale back on income tax cuts
The governor also says he will likely tap into the state’s “rainy day” reserve to draw down hundreds of millions of dollars to balance the state budget.
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.
Economic prosperity rises from the bottom up
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice looks at the recent legislative session's hits and misses in this Community Voice column for Aloha State Daily.
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
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.
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.
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.
Hawaiʻi wants to purchase voluntary deed restrictions to preserve more homes for locals
This new approach would help buffer Hawaiʻi homes from speculation and encourage more locals to actively contribute to addressing the Islands’ housing challenges.
Lawmakers should leverage tax credits to preserve Hawaiʻi’s working class
Almost half of the population cannot pay their bills on time while also saving money for emergencies.
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.