In last-minute plea to Legislature, Maui’s mayor requests $125M for wildfire recovery aid
The request is getting a cool response amid pressure to do more for low-income residents.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen is on the hot seat now. And rightly so
Community and labor groups hope to hold legislators accountable to local working families.
Want safer streets? Stop blaming pedestrians for traffic violence
A state Senate bill would prevent pedestrians from being stopped by cops or fined for jaywalking unless there is an immediate danger of a collision.
Advocates push to get a child tax credit through the Legislature this session
Family advocates, parents and a number of lawmakers say it’s time for a child tax credit in Hawaiʻi. Many of them gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Enthusiasm surrounds measure to provide universal free school meals
Thousands of students already take advantage of programs for free or discounted meals, but access often depends on a family’s income. Many students in low-income families need the support but can't get it.
Lawmakers should embrace keiki credit
Given Hawaiʻi’s rising cost of living and the corresponding increase in child poverty, lawmakers should seize the opportunity to establish a state-level Child Tax Credit to provide tax relief for working families with children.
As Filipinos grapple with high rent, what is the state planning this legislative session?
Locals and new locals coming together in a limited space have produced the perfect storm for a rental crunch where low supply is lopsided by high demand, and the result is a hefty rental tag.
A proposed constitutional amendment would let Hawaiʻi use property taxes to fund schools
The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2018, but the state Supreme Court invalidated the ballot measure for using vague and unclear language.
Proposed short-term rental rules on Big Island met with overwhelming opposition
The county’s first attempt to regulate short-term rentals was in November 2018 with the passage of Bill 108, which included some recommendations from a March 2018 Hawai‘i Appleseed report.
County Council forwards proposed changes to short-term rental regulations to planning commissions, director
The county’s first attempt to regulate these short-term rentals included recommendations from a 2018 Hawai‘i Appleseed report that provided an overview of impacts from the rentals on the state’s housing market.
Rebalance Hawaiʻi’s upside-down tax code to achieve prosperity for all
We are the third-worst state when it comes to taxing struggling working families.
Big Island lawmakers attempt to rein in short-term vacation rentals
Supporters say new limits are needed to increase the island's affordable housing stock, while opponents fear negative economic consequences.
New report on cycle of poverty in Hawaiʻi urges state lawmakers to find solutions
Solutions include substantially increasing public financing of affordable housing, as well as the creation of a state level child tax credit.
Study: Low wages a threat to ‘heart and soul’ of society in Hawaiʻi
The report concludes that chronically low wages have prevented Hawaiʻi’s working families from thriving, and that the effect of poverty on children has ramifications for future generations.
More Hawaiʻi schools qualify for free meal programs but the state may not participate
Recent changes to a federal program could allow for a significant expansion of free school meals in Hawaiʻi, but it's unclear if the state will opt in.
Is it unethical to vacation in Hawaiʻi?
Despite the economic revenue that the tourism industry generates, Native Hawaiians point out that residents aren’t partaking in those profits.
Tenants facing eviction hope state will convert Kauaʻi’s Waipouli apartments to affordable housing
Affordable housing advocates are pressuring the State of Hawai‘i to purchase the apartment building and transform all 82 units into affordable housing.
In Hawaiʻi’s housing crunch, tenants are vulnerable to rent hikes and evictions
Advocates say the code lacks key policies needed in Hawaiʻi’s tight housing market, such as longer notice periods before someone can be evicted, caps on yearly rent increases and limits on the reasons landlords can evict tenants.
Housing advocate calls for a departure from the status quo to meet basic needs
Gavin Thornton, executive director of Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, discusses the mixed bag of results from lawmakers attempting to address the housing and homeless crises during the 2023 legislative session.
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.