Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center founder-exec director to retire
Hawaiʻi Appleseed announces the retirement of Victor Geminiani, its co-founder and longtime executive director, after a 50-year public interest law career.
Champion of legal aid to Hawaiʻi’s poor announces retirement
After a 50-year career in public interest law and advocacy, Hawaiʻi Appleseed co-director Victor Geminiani announced on Wednesday that he will retire Aug. 31.
The Conversation: Lessons from the Great Recession
Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Director Beth Giesting reviews the response to and fallout from the Great Recession, and how we can prepare for the next one.
Hawaiʻi has highest gap between wages, rent required for a 2-bedroom
Hawaiʻi is not only the most expensive state for renters to live in, but also has the greatest gap between average earnings and average fair-market rent.
Critics fear Trump’s plan to redefine poverty could mean bad news for Hawaiʻi
The federal poverty line already doesn’t take into account the state’s high cost of living.
This is what it sounds like when bills die
On the last day of conference committee at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, an all-too-familiar scene played out.
A living wage will help keep families here
Hawaiʻi trails 11 other states where the minimum wage is higher than ours.
Time to raise minimum wage
$10.10 an hour is not a living wage. $17 an hour is absolutely necessary for hardworking Hawaiʻi families to make ends meet.
Business Report: New figures on Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage
The report finds that low-wage workers spend most of their increased income back into the local economy, supporting businesses and boosting economic activity.
Minimum wage increase could help over 200,000 workers, report says
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice analyzed the demographics of workers who could be impacted by an increase.
The call for a living wage
Lawmakers are looking to raise the minimum wage to $12.50 in 2024 for those who get healthcare from their employers; an increase of about $0.50 an hour each year, and simply not enough.
Pacific Resource Partnership app allows users to get more involved in Hawaiʻi legislative bills
In a state notorious for low voter turnout, a lobbying group has developed a free mobile app to get younger residents more involved in legislative matters.
Advocates urge larger minimum wage hike
The Senate Committee on Labor will hold a public hearing today regarding a bill that would increase minimum wage rates throughout the state.
Beth Giesting discusses the funding of pensions for government workers
One of the biggest items the State of Hawaiʻi has to fund, is pensions for government workers. Public workers and retirees make up 11 percent of the state’s adult population.
WAM sends minimum wage bill to Senate
The Senate’s Ways and Means committee passed Senate Bill 789 on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, setting it up for a final vote on the Senate floor.
Raise the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour
In a state that has one of the highest costs of living and lowest unemployment rates, it’s time for lawmakers to put things back in balance for workers.
Introducing KAKOU, Hawaiʻi’s first ever civic engagement app
KĀKOU is a unified, digital platform that makes it easy for everyone to engage with Hawaiʻi’s elected officials and participate in the democratic process.
Half of Hawaiʻi barely gets by
Two or three jobs are not enough to provide financial stability for many local families. How can we create CHANGE?
Gap keeps growing between rich, poor
The gap continues to widen between rich and poor. And there is no sign it will ever shrink.
Hawaiʻi tax system places larger burden on low income residents
The Hawaiʻi tax system is considered highly regressive, due to heavy reliance on the General Excise Tax. This is despite a progressive, graded state income tax and the lowest property taxes in the nation.