Fighting for a living wage in Hawaiʻi
Workers in Hawaiʻi are rallying at their State Capitol to raise the state’s minimum wage for the first time since 2018. The "What A Day" podcast discusses how workers are being affected by low wages in the highest cost-of-living state in the nation.
Wage measures still alive
A bill in the state House of Representatives that would increase the minimum wage cleared a committee hurdle Tuesday.
Hawaiʻi minimum wage bill advances despite criticisms
Worker advocates called for a faster increase to $18 an hour consistent with a bill passed in January by the full Senate in a 24–1 vote.
Proposal for Hawaiʻi to build and sell leasehold condos judged unfeasible
Analysis concluded that a key element in the plan—selling condos with 99-year land leases—isn’t workable despite some parts of the plan holding promise.
Hawaiʻi legislature 2022: smart spending could help big problems
The legislature has money available for almost any policy initiative imaginable, and every member of the house and senate is up for reelection.
Raise Up Hawaiʻi demands higher minimum wage
An increased minimum wage would not only put food on families’ tables but put money in their pockets for spending at local businesses.
State must lead on housing crisis
The failure to deal with the housing shortage in any meaningful way has led to Hawaiʻi’s highest per-capita homelessness rate in the nation.
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.
This time Hawaiʻi lawmakers must deliver on all-mail elections
Similar measures died in the legislature the past three sessions. Let’s get it right in 2018.
Senate Ways & Means chair blocks a bill to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour
A proposed bill would bump the minimum wage to $12.25 in 2019, then to $15 in 2020, but a committee chair says he won't hear the bill without more research.
Hawaiʻi may switch to all-mail elections in 2020
A bill requiring the conversion in hopes of increasing voter turnout is headed to the House floor.
The to-do list for the 2018 legislative session
What should be at the top of the to-do list for Hawaiʻi’s legislators this session? From our high cost of living, to affordable housing, to climate change, the breadth of issues could make this one of the most pivotal years for lawmakers—or it could be politics as usual.
Health and human services providers gearing up for legislative session
A $15 an hour minimum wage and an increase in the low income renter’s credit will help struggling families.
How house leaders scuttled better pay for foster parents
House Speaker Scott Saiki said attorney fees were too high in a multi-million-dollar settlement of a lawsuit challenging foster care payment rates.
Advocates fear Hawaiʻi’s sick leave bill abandons workers in need
But industry groups say bills that mandate paid sick leave for workers and expand the state’s current family leave law will push prices higher.
Hawaiʻi debates progressive taxes, Oʻahu ferry, green fuel
A tax bill aimed at helping the islands' most economically vulnerable would raise taxes for wealthier families while giving tax credits to those with lower incomes.
Bills to raise Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage are non-starters
A measure to establish a $15 per hour wage by 2021 did not get a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.