Each year, Hawaiʻi Appleseed analyzes the dense budget bill passed by the Legislature and distills it into a short, digestible primer. The FY 2026–27 Budget Primer explains what the state plans to fund and by how much.

40 Years of Rising Costs & Stagnant Wages.

Creating our state Earned Income Tax Credit was an important achievement. Now it’s time to make the state EITC refundable and permanent.

Not only would a minimum wage increase help to improve the living standards of affected Hawaiʻi workers, but it would also strengthen local businesses, as low-wage workers plow almost every additional dollar of earnings back into the local economy.

Recommendations on handling Hawaiʻi’s public worker retirement commitments as the Baby Boomer generation prepares to enter retirement.

All of Hawaiʻi’s children deserve a good education that opens up opportunities for the rest of their lives. But hungry keiki can't learn.

The Need for a Working Family Credit

How Hawaiʻi’s low-income residents are faring post-recovery.

Systemic Failures in Providing Critical Services to Foster Youth in Hawaiʻi