Working families win with EITC expansion
The state’s earned income tax credit will move us closer to an affordable Hawaiʻi.
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.”
Working families need tax relief
The past few years have been rough for those on the lower rungs of the income ladder. The legislature is right to focus on lightening the financial burden of those households.
Leasehold condo plan could work
The idea, branded as ALOHA Homes (Affordable Locally Owned Homes for All), is to build and sell the leasehold condos at no long-term cost to Hawaiʻi taxpayers.
State-backed leasehold condo pilot pending
Senate Bill 865 would establish a pilot program to develop one condo project for sale on state land under a 99-year land lease in an effort to demonstrate whether the concept is a viable solution to increase the long-term supply of affordable housing.
Bill creating a luxury home sales tax to fund homeless services misses key deadline
For advocates working to solve homelessness in the state, the measure’s demise continues an ongoing sense of uncertainty for long-term solutions.
Luxury home sales tax to fund affordable housing killed
A bill to tax the sale of multimillion-dollar properties and use the proceeds to fund affordable housing became one of the most popular proposals in the state legislature this session.
Lawmakers are keeping pressure on DOE for school meal plans
Farmers and ranchers see an opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
Covid has slowed but Hawaiʻi still needs rent assistance
Evictions are harmful to our housing ecosystem and to the landlords who rely on consistent rent payments from tenants.
Bills to transform Hawaiʻi’s school meals die in Senate
A handful of well- supported bills to transform student meals in Hawaiʻi’s public schools appears to be dead for this legislative session.
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.
Thirty percent of bills in Hawaiʻi legislature survive crossover day
Around 950 bills have survived, out of more than 3,100 bills introduced in 2023.
Hawaiʻi taxpayers are paying a high cost for evictions
Every year there are about 2,500 evictions in the islands. And many fear more people will be out on the streets because of the high cost of housing.
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.
‘Audacious’ tax relief plan advances at Hawaiʻi Legislature
The biggest proposed savings are in a bill from Gov. Josh Green that would boost all Hawaiʻi income tax bracket thresholds and increase the standard deduction along with the personal exemption.
Move ahead with care on tax relief
Legislators must ensure that the relief package makes the most of state resources, finding the right balance of lower taxes and the services that Hawaiʻi’s people need most.
While a tax hike to fund homeless services may not pass, housing advocates have a plan
When it comes to Hawaiʻi's conveyance tax rates, advocates say the state is low compared to other high-cost areas in the U.S.
USDA raises meal reimbursement rate for Hawaiʻi’s kids
While the new rate is still less than half of what advocates wanted, it’s been met with praise in Hawaiʻi.
Bill to increase conveyance tax on Hawaiʻi homes will potentially fund homeless services
Housing advocates say this new measure will raise hundreds of millions of dollars each year for homeless services and the critical affordable housing need here.