Hawaiʻi lawmakers debate scaling back promised tax cuts
In 2024, lawmakers passed sweeping tax relief under Act 46, promising phased income tax reductions for Hawaiʻi residents over several years. But the state’s financial outlook has changed.
Balancing the state budget could require pauses to income tax cut plan
With federal funding cuts on the horizon, state lawmakers are advancing measures proposed by Gov. Josh Green that would pause some of the “historic” state tax cuts passed in 2024.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers debate Gov. Green’s freeze on income tax cut
Because lower tax rates through this year will continue at the 2026 level beyond this year, Green’s office said Hawaiʻi families will save $5.4 billion over the next five years after $1.5 billion this year under his proposal.
Hawaiʻi’s hunger crisis is here, and urgent
We find ourselves in the midst of a hunger crisis driven by sky-high living costs, cuts to essential nutrition supports, and food systems that don’t work for all of us.
What pushes locals out of Hawaiʻi? Low wages
The Honolulu Charter Commission has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to address the county’s crisis.
Annual passes for TheBus are set to increase by $110
Those in opposition argued that public transit is generally used by those from lower-income households, and that increasing bus fares would add to the struggles of Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living.
Honolulu City Council votes to raise public transit fares
The Council voted 6-3 — with Radiant Cordero, Matt Weyer, and Dos Santos-Tam dissenting — to adopt the new transit fares.
Honolulu bus, rail fares set to go up this summer
Council members voted Wednesday to boost the cost of an adult bus pass by $10 a month, along with other price hikes.
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.
Hawaiʻi Appleseed launches new interactive Economic Justice Data Dashboard
The Economic Justice Data Dashboard provides a clear, visual snapshot of how communities at the state, county and legislative district levels are performing across interconnected areas of economic security.
How City Council could improve food security for Oʻahu residents
The Honolulu City Council should work on disaster planning, summer feeding programs for children, kūpuna programs, and direct funding for food banks.
Mom-and-pop stores losing EBT customers struggle to survive
It’s not only making it harder for families to put food on their tables. It’s also affecting people’s livelihoods.
Bill 53 would increase Oʻahu housing costs
Reinstating parking mandates for developers in Honolulu means choosing cars over people and asphalt over affordability.
Oʻahu wants to crack down on homeless bus riders
While part of the bill addresses homelessness in public transit—a feature of urban life almost everywhere—it lacks the coordination found in some other cities.
End burdensome school impact fees, put funds to good use
Bringing the overall cost of development down is critical to meet demand, and one way to help is by eliminating costly and ineffective school impact fees.
Raise sales tax on costly homes, build more rentals
When hard-working locals—from teachers and nurses to waitresses—are struggling to stay housed, it means we have a serious problem.
State is scrambling to fix SNAP food program following $11M fine for errors
Hawaiʻi hopes the federal government will waive half of the penalty if the state invests more than $5 million in new technology.
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.
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.
Hawaiʻi families could face big price hike for school meals
Charging elementary and middle school students $4.75 for lunch would be a huge hit to working families, advocates say.