Advocacy

2023 Legislative Agenda

For the 2023 state legislative session, Holomua Collaborative is supporting important bills that will help make Hawai‘i affordable for all working families. The description of each of the bills we are supporting also lists the organization that is the lead advocate for the bill.

  • HB 233 / SB 357
  • To address child poverty, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 increased the federal child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600 for qualifying children under the age of six and $3,000 for other qualifying children under the age of 18. It also allowed the credit to be distributed monthly.
  • The expanded federal child tax credit succeeded in reducing child poverty. The U.S. child poverty rate fell 46% to its lowest level in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The temporary credit lifted nearly 4 million children out of poverty and reduced the number of households that reported not having enough food .
  • But even though these provisions lifted millions of families and their children out of poverty, they expired at the end of 2021. Since then, at least twelve states have enacted their own child tax credit. Hawai‘i is in a good position to follow the lead of many other states and help fill this gap with an innovative, evidence-based program that will lift people out of poverty, while benefiting the broader economy as well.
  • Lead organization: Hawai‘i Tax Fairness Coalition

  • HB 391 / HB 547 / SB 312
  • The purpose of the infant and toddler child care workforce subsidy pilot program is to have the Department of Human Services develop a two-year child care worker subsidy pilot program to retain the existing early child care workforce in infant and toddler center settings and appropriate funds for the program.
  • The RAND Corporation recently noted that wages and salaries for early educators in Hawai‘i are not competitive. Median hourly wages are estimated at $13-$17 per hour currently, while the living wage estimate in Hawai‘i is $28.50 per hour. This is unsustainable and it is why, between 2018 and 2020, Hawai‘i lost 20% of its child care workforce. When child care workers leave the profession, it becomes harder for child care providers to stay open. This ultimately makes it harder for families to get child care as demand increases while supply shrinks. And this disparity between supply and demand for child care is why child care has become so expensive.
  • This pilot program is the type of innovative, collaborative, evidence-based program that can break this cycle and put us on a path to greater affordability both for child care workers and for those who need access to child care.
  • Lead organizations: Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network Speaks! and the Hawai‘i Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance

  • SB 87 / HB 361
  • The Green Jobs Youth Corps was created as an innovative way to connect people with good jobs following the unemployment crisis that was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Green Jobs Youth Corps has become a meaningful part of Hawaii’s attempt to diversify our economy, keep people working in their own communities, and improve the state’s environmental resilience.
  • With initial federal government funding through COVID relief money and subsequent additional funding provided by the state, the Green Jobs Youth Corps has involved over seventy different employers in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. And all of these employers are involved in sustainable energy, conservation, or sustainable agriculture.
  • The partnership between these private sector employers and the state and federal government has proved to be a wise investment of government resources. It is estimated that the first $5 million in government funds invested in this program will produce $18.4 million in positive socioeconomic impact.
  • Lead organization: KUPU

  • HB 241 / SB 1126
  • The cost of full-time child care has risen and the cost increase should be reflected in the income tax credits allowed for expenses for household and dependent care services. Full-time child care programs allow parents to obtain and retain secure, stable employment, which increases the economic well-being of the family as a whole.
  • Right now the average cost of child care in Hawai‘i is more than $13,000 per year. And currently the state credit covers a percentage of qualifying care expenses, but it is limited to $2,400 for one child/dependent and $4,800 for two/children dependents.
  • This bill would double the tax credit amount that most taxpayers could claim for the cost of child or dependent care.
  • Lead organization: Hawai‘i Tax Fairness Coalition

  • Final Report of the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct
  • The Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct, which was formed at the request of Speaker Scott Saiki and the State House of Representatives after high-profile corruption cases last year, ultimately recommended 28 bills and three resolutions to be considered this year by the state legislature.
  • As the report from the Commission noted, Hawai‘i is at a critical juncture in regard to restoring public trust in government and reforming areas of the law related to issues such as corruption, fraud, ethics, elections, and campaign finance.
  • This is a pivotal point in time and there is now a tremendous opportunity to mend the relationship between the public and its government.
  • Lead organization: The State Ethics Commission, The Campaign Spending Commission, League of Women Voters

  • HB 1049
  • This bill makes Hawai‘i more affordable using a variety of approaches, including:
    • Adding a new tax credit for teacher’s expenses;
    • Adjusting annually the income tax brackets, personal exemption and standard deduction amounts, dependent care credit, household renters credit, and refundable food/excise credits by a cost-of-living adjustment factor;
    • Increasing the amounts for the income tax brackets, personal exemption amount and standard deduction amounts for tax year 2023;
    • Increasing the adjusted gross income amounts for the qualification of low-income credits; and
    • Increasing the amount of the credits that assist working families.
  • Lead organization: The office of Governor Josh Green