Advocacy
Legislative Agendas
2024 Legislative Agenda
For the 2024 state legislative session, Holomua Collaborative is supporting important bills that will help keep all local working families in Hawai‘i by making sure they can afford to stay. The policies we’re advancing were informed by over twenty in-person cross-sector convenings that were held in the summer and fall of 2023, bringing together representatives of the government, for-profit, non-profit, and labor sectors. The description of each of the bills we are supporting also lists the organization that is the lead advocate for the bill.
The program consists of two bills, described in more detail below: (1) an educator workforce housing bill; and (2) a remote work bill. Together, the bills aim to modernize state employment by strengthening efforts to build homes for our public school employees, while simultaneously connecting remote job opportunities within state government with areas of the state that have access to more affordable housing, particularly in rural and neighbor island areas.
State Employment Modernization Program: Educator Workforce Housing Bill
- Hawai‘i faces a shortage of over a thousand licensed teachers a year, posing a challenge to the education system. The scarcity of educators is exacerbated by our lower-than-national-average teacher salaries when adjusted for the high cost of living in the state.
- Housing costs represent a substantial portion of each teacher’s paycheck, contributing to the financial strain on educators. Given the high cost of living in Hawai‘i, providing housing options that Department of Education (DOE) employees can afford is crucial for recruiting and retaining educators in the public school system.
- The bill focuses on creating affordable housing options specifically for educators. By facilitating the construction of educator workforce housing in–among other places–underutilized DOE property, the bill aims to ease the financial burden on our public school educators.
- Lead organization: Holomua Collaborative
State Employment Modernization Program: Remote Work Bill
- The Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) recently reported that nearly 4,000 of 17,000 civil service positions in the state executive branch were vacant as of November 2022, not including the University of Hawai‘i system or the DOE. And as recently as January 2024, according to Civil Beat, “more than 1 in 4 civil service positions in state government was vacant last month, a statistic that is spurring complaints from the public about eroding levels of service.”
- This bill addresses this crisis through a three-pronged approach: (1) identifying suitable state government jobs in the executive branch for remote work; (2) pinpointing areas in the state where housing is affordable but good-paying jobs are scarce; and (3) connecting remote state government jobs with Hawai‘i workers in these economically advantageous regions.
- What the state can gain from this is decreased vacancies in state government, which will result in improved operations for everything from benefits services to permitting applications and more. And in the process, it has the potential to keep local residents in their own communities, while lowering their cost of living.
- Lead organization: Holomua Collaborative
- The Hawai‘i State Plan, a crucial policy document, establishes standards and policies guiding local and state agencies. Established in 1978, it plays a crucial role in resource allocation, coordinating plans across federal, state, and county levels, and integrating major state and county activities. In 2018, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development completed Phase I of the comprehensive review of the Hawai‘i State Planning Act. A Phase II update was recommended, but never begun.
- The State (and rest of world) are facing numerous complex, interlocking challenges that are increasing in speed and scale. These challenges require solutions and approaches that are cross-sector and collaborative. This bill aims to use the opportunity to update and modernize the State Planning Act (HRS 226) to address these complex challenges.
- It proposes establishing a task force representing government, for-profit, nonprofit, and labor sectors to begin the Phase II update that was referenced in the 2018 phase I update of the State Planning Act. This second phase will refine and guide the implementation of recommendations for the Act’s update, refreshing the State Plan as a key part of the solution to these challenges.
- Lead organization: Holomua Collaborative
- The goal of the starter homes bill is to enable the construction of smaller and more affordable homes suitable for first-time buyers, kupuna, and empty nesters looking to downsize.
- Existing zoning regulations in Hawai‘i pose significant barriers to building smaller, more affordable homes for local families. The requirement of a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet in most areas exacerbates the cost of building a single-family home, making it financially challenging for many families. This zoning approach has inadvertently led to the creation of larger, more expensive homes.
- The limited availability of land, coupled with minimum lot size requirements, guarantees higher housing prices that are unaffordable to most.This has resulted in the displacement of long-time local families, as housing options become increasingly unattainable. The need for a solution is critical to addressing the housing affordability crisis and keeping local families in Hawai‘i.
- The bill, by allowing multiple small homes on existing lots, aims to reduce home costs for local working families, helping them stay in Hawai‘i. Encouraging housing in urban areas helps protect open and agricultural spaces. It is important to note that even with the proposed changes, no new building can occur unless sufficient infrastructure is present, ensuring responsible development.
- Lead Organizations: Office of Representative Luke Evslin, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Hawai‘i Zoning Atlas, Hawai‘i YIMBY, Grassroot Institute, Holomua Collaborative
- Many older condominiums in Hawai‘i face a significant safety challenge due to the lack of fire sprinklers, and retrofitting them can be financially burdensome.
- Over 281 high-rise residential buildings, primarily condominiums developed before 1975, have failed safety evaluations because of the absence of fire sprinklers or other safety requirements. The high cost of installing fire sprinklers has been a major barrier to ensuring the safety of residents in these older condominiums.
- Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency (C-PACER) financing, introduced in 2022, provides an alternative financing option that covers 100% of qualified capital improvement costs. With terms matching the useful life of the installed equipment, this financing option offers more affordable payments compared to typical equipment loans. However, the eligibility of condominiums for C-PACER financing is currently restricted.
- The bill extends C-PACER eligibility to condominiums, particularly addressing the costly retrofitting of older condominiums with fire sprinklers (triggered by incidents like the Marco Polo building fire). This extension would help ease the financial burdens on residents, especially those with lower incomes, by spreading retrofit costs across the system’s useful life. This would reduce condo assessments, enhance safety standards, and increase the likelihood that residents can afford to remain in their homes.
- Lead Organizations: Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority
- This bill offers a common-sense solution to address cost-of-living challenges in Hawai‘i by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring safety in home building.
- Currently, building codes are updated every three years, leading to a complex and time-consuming process for stakeholders to interpret and implement new codes.
- The proposed change to a six-year code cycle would allow for a more efficient and cost-effective process. After an initial period of adjustment and clarification, stakeholders would have four to five years to submit, review, and approve plans, reducing the need for repeated submissions and corrections. This streamlined process would lead to lower home building costs and ultimately lower home prices for local residents.
- Moreover, the extended code cycle would provide counties with more time to suggest amendments tailored to their specific needs, such as building materials and standards suited to their geography and climate. This approach maintains safety standards while reducing unnecessary costs.
- Lead Organizations: Building Industry Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Institute of Architects, General Contractors Association
- 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 40% to its lowest level in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The temporary credit lifted nearly 3 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 fourteen 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 organizations: Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice
- Hawai‘i is having an increasingly difficult time retaining and recruiting infant and toddler child care workers. Between 2018 and 2020, the state witnessed a 20% decline in its child care workforce. The departure of child care workers not only affects the individual professionals but also poses a threat to the viability of child care providers. As workers leave, it becomes increasingly difficult for child care facilities to remain open, leading to a diminishing supply of child care services while demand continues to rise.
- The current disparity between the demand for child care services and the available supply has created financial strain for both families and child care facilities. And this disparity between supply and demand for child care is why families struggle to pay for facilities that charge $20,000 per year per child, because that is what they must do to stay afloat. The economic unsustainability of the child care workforce’s current wages further exacerbates this situation.
- The bill seeks to establish a child care provider subsidy and bonus program to address the challenges faced by the early child care workforce in Hawai‘i. By appropriating funds for this program, the bill aims to adequately compensate and retain child care workers in all licensed and registered child care provider settings. This initiative addresses the workforce shortage, improves retention, and ensures the sustainability of child care providers.
- Lead organizations: Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network Speaks! and the Hawai‘i Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance
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
