According to ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaii by Aloha United Way, half of our households are struggling to make ends meet including for paying for housing, food, and transportation. To address the high cost of living in Hawaii, State Senate and House leaders, Governor David Ige, and community business organizations including the Hawaii Community Foundation and Hawaii Executive Collaborative, have joined together to support a joint legislative package, also called the 2020 Cost of Living Initiative, that aims to increase opportunity for families in our state.
This 2020 Cost of Living Initiative focuses on four areas: increasing wages and tax credits for working families, creating long-term affordable housing solutions, improving aging school facilities, and providing early learning access to all 3- and 4- year olds by 2030.
You can also learn more about Hawaii residents’ financial state-of-affairs by reading the ALICE report (2017), the Hawaii Financial Health Pulse Report (2020), and recent news coverage about the bills below.
This pdf provides an overview of each bill in the joint legislative package and how it aims to address cost-of-living challenges in Hawaii.
Plans to build and design new schools by leveraging underutilized school lands.
This bill proposes to $70 million in annual tax relief by making the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refundable and permanent and increasing the food/excise credit by 36% to $150.
This bill is intended to provide all 3- and 4-year-olds access to early childcare and learning opportunities by 2030.
This bill asserts that it will address a need for 50,000 housing units by 2050. This measure would authorize $275 million in GO Bonds for infrastructure and development of affordable housing.
Keep up-to-date on what this joint legislative bill package means for Hawaii and how it could impact our local communities.
February 25, 2020The Garden Island
February 23, 2020Honolulu Star-Advertiser
February 14, 2020Hawaii Business Magazine – Podcast with full audio program to come
February 10, 2020Hawaii Public Radio
February 12, 2020Hawaii News Now
February 5, 2020Hawaii News Now
February 4, 2020Pacific Business News
January 31, 2020Hawaii News Now
January 29, 2020Star-Advertiser
January 24, 2020Hawaii News Now
January 14, 2020Hawaii News Now
— MARGARET MEAD