The answer lies in an expansion of the strategy that held the line against poverty in 2020 and that helped America out of the Great Depression.

Critics hoped the pandemic would be the catalyst for significant changes to address longterm problems facing Hawaiʻi. But the budget shortfall dominated the 2021 session.

The pandemic wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much if Hawaiʻi residents were making wages that paid enough to cover their basic needs.

Minimum wage earners should not be paying a higher percentage in taxes than those at the top.

And Hawaiʻi’s lawmakers should pass legislation that supports workers’ well-being.

The cost of living in Hawaiʻi continues to rise, most notably due to the lack of affordable housing. How do we find a feasible solution?

Senators moved to raise income taxes on high earners, and the House passed capital gains and inheritance tax increases.

The organizations highlighted how state and local budgets have been slashed, causing job losses in critical sectors like education and healthcare that will be central to addressing the public health crisis.

In recent years there’s been increasing support from the state’s leading lawmakers and Democratic Party to pay workers a living wage, but the gap between that figure and what lawmakers have been willing to pass remains wide.

Governor Ige’s plan to furlough state workers could further increase the already-maddening length of time it takes to process critical services like unemployment.

Illegal vacation rentals have worsened Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing shortage while contributing to an overrun of high-impact, low-spending visitors.

Hawaiʻi’s 2020 legislative session was hallmarked by social distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 that may also have disenfranchised the public.

The allocations of the federal aid money drew criticism from social service agencies while the process of adopting the budget measure, using a method called gut-and-replace, riled others.

Lawmakers say they will use $635 million in CARES Act funds to assist the unemployed and local businesses, but advocates say it’s still not enough.

The situation for renters is likely to get worse in the coming months, especially after the $600 boost to federal unemployment benefits expires July 31.

The Working Families Coalition released a plan to distribute $362 million including CARES Act funds to help families with rent, food, healthcare and more.

Job losses have not been linked to past raises. The EITC has not sufficiently offset poverty levels. Nearly half the population barely gets by.

A bill to hike Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is moving to the full house, but critics say it still falls short of what a person needs to live in the 50th state.

The statistics about how many of Hawaiʻi’s people struggle look worse with each passing year, so plainly the safety net needs reinforcement.

The public-charge rule has been a lightning rod in the national debate over immigration with critics accusing Trump of pushing racist policies that discriminate against immigrants.