An Oʻahu teacher’s futile apartment hunt shows how bad the rental market is
Housing policy advocates say Helen Lau's story is all too common amid Honolulu's housing crisis.
Mediating rent disputes
The mediation program’s principles are sound. Lawmakers now have many months to refine this bill and get right its final form and funding amounts; they cannot let a worthwhile program die because they can’t get their act together.
State funds for late rent, mediation to be revisited
Key state lawmakers are vowing to revisit a bill that died in the final days of the legislative session that would have required mediation between landlords and tenants before filing for eviction, while providing landlords millions in emergency rent relief.
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 food insecurity persists post COVID-19
Even as Hawaiʻi distances itself from the harshest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-hunger advocates say that elevated food insecurity among residents has not only persisted but is growing.
VIDEO: Anti-hunger leaders join ‘Spotlight Hawaiʻi’
Hawaiʻi Food Bank CEO Amy Miller Marvin and Daniela Spoto, Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s director of Anti-Hunger Initiatives, joined the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaiʻi.”
Lawmakers are keeping pressure on DOE for school meal plans
Farmers and ranchers see an opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
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.
Tax to fund affordable housing advances in state legislature
Senate Bill 362, Draft 2, which raises the conveyance tax on property sales over $2 million, has survived committee (a feat that only one in 10 bills achieve) and is set for a final floor vote in the Senate this week.
Rising prices, increasing poverty, slowing job growth: Hawaiʻi’s economy faces grim times
Among those facing higher costs are Oʻahu utility customers whose October bills could show more cost increases on top of a dramatic rise over the past year.
Ige signs $18 minimum wage increase, tax refund
“This historic legislation represents a significant and meaningful step toward transforming our economy so that it works for everyone,” said Hawai‘i Appleseed Executive Director Gavin Thornton. “But much more remains to be done.”
Ige signs minimum wage increase, tax rebate bills
Gov. David Ige, on Wednesday during a ceremony at the state Capitol in Honolulu, signed two bills that will help Hawaiʻi’s working individuals and families.
Bill to raise Hawaiʻi's minimum wage to $18 by 2028 passes out of conference committee
With last-minute amendments, a measure seeking to raise the state’s minimum wage passed out of conference committee on Friday.
Hawaiʻi lawmakers finally agree on raising the minimum wage
House Bill 2510 also makes a state earned income tax credit refundable. Meanwhile, many taxpayers could soon get a $300 tax rebate.
Friday deadline looms for Hawaiʻi lawmakers to raise minimum wage
Supporters rallied in events across the islands to urge lawmakers to agree on a final version by Friday. If they do not agree on terms, the measure will be killed. The sticking point has been how much the raises will be and how fast they will be implemented.
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.
Working class tax credit still alive
After taking a long, winding path through the Legislature, a bill making the Earned Income Tax Credit permanent and refundable has made it through both the House and the Senate, though disagreements over amendments mean that the bill will now go before a conference committee.
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.
Senate, House clash over Hawaiʻi minimum wage bills
The vast majority of those who testified at Monday’s LCA meeting favored the 2026 date for the increase, with 113 testifying in support of the 2026 date and 11 individuals testifying in support of the 2028 date.