Hawaiʻi Appleseed releases 2025–26 state budget primer and legislative recap
Together, these documents tell the story of how Hawaiʻi invests in its communities, analyzing the most recent legislative session and the budget that emerged from it.
Community coalition celebrates passage of school meal expansion bill
The Hawaiʻi State Legislature has approved Senate Bill 1300, which will expand free school meal access to keiki in the ALICE population over the next two school years.
Community forum will bolster political will behind Universal Free School Meals
Free School Meals 4 All: A Community Forum will take place Sat., March 15 from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at McKinley High School auditorium.
Recent state tax cuts leave many struggling families behind, in need of more help
Tax credits can help round out relief efforts at low cost to the state by targeting assistance only to the families that need additional support.
Estate tax giveaway HB2653 would further concentrate wealth, drive inequality
New data-driven policy brief from Hawaiʻi Appleseed aims to educate lawmakers on the true nature of the policy proposal contained in this 2024 bill.
Hawaiʻi’s conveyance tax can be an effective tool to address our housing crisis
Hawaiʻi lawmakers have an opportunity to tailor the sales tax on real property so that it reinvests nonresident wealth into our island communities through affordable housing development.
New report calls upon the state to join a growing national movement and provide free meals to all Hawaiʻi public school students
Extending free meals to all public school students would cost about $25 million per year—about 1 percent of the DOE’s operating budget.
Hawaiʻi’s tax system makes inequality worse, national study finds
Hawaiʻi lawmakers can improve the economic health of our communities by re-balancing the state’s upside-down tax code.
Hawaiʻi’s low wages relative to its cost of living put a serious strain on society, local economy
In a new report, Hawaiʻi Appleseed researchers demonstrate how chronically low wages have prevented Hawaiʻi’s working families from thriving, and outline the significant cost that poverty exacts from these families, from future generations, and from all of us.
Hawaiʻi households to suffer deep cuts to SNAP benefits; anti-hunger advocates urge lawmakers to address hunger cliff
The cliff is a result of Congress’ decision to end the federal emergency allotments that were implemented to reduce food insecurity and stimulate the economy for the duration of the pandemic.
Hawaiʻi's tenant-landlord mediation program kept hundreds housed amid pandemic fallout
Study aims to ascertain whether or not there are ways to increase housing stability by examining the temporary measures Hawaiʻi put into place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawaiʻi Appleseed announces Victor Geminiani’s retirement
The 50-year advocate for the low-income community and founder of Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice will retire on August 31, 2019.
Hawaiʻi working women, parents are chief beneficiaries of proposed minimum wage increase
New analysis sheds light on demographics of affected workers and effects on local economy.