Friday, November 22, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, February 22, 2020
$13 Minimum Wage Passes Another Committee
By News Release @ 2:11 AM :: 4343 Views :: Labor, Small Business, Cost of Living

HOUSE BILL TO SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE

Measure includes tax benefits, minimum wage increases as part of joint legislative package to tackle cost of living in Hawaiʻi

News Release from House Democratic Caucus, February 21, 2020

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi –A House bill that would benefit working families by providing tax benefits and increasing the minimum wage was passed during a joint hearing of the House Committee on Labor & Public Employment and the Committee on Finance today.

HB 2541 HD1, titled Relating to Helping Working Families, would make the state earned income tax credit refundable and permanent, and increase the refundable food/excise tax credit. In addition, the bill would increase the minimum wage rate to $11 per hour beginning on 1/1/2021, $12 per hour beginning on 1/1/2022, $12.50 per hour beginning on 1/1/2023, and $13 per hour beginning on 1/1/2024.

Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke said this bill is an important part of the joint economic package of bills introduced this session by the House and Senate and supported by the Ige Administration to address Hawaiʻi's cost of living obstacles for working class families and individuals.

"In this package of bills which deals with affordable housing, child care and minimum wage, what we are trying to do is take care of the working families," said Representative Luke

Representative Aaron Ling Johanson, Chair of the Labor & Public Employment Committee, said this one bill is not meant to be the singular fix for all of the root causes of Hawaiʻi's high cost of living.

"This is a minimum wage increase; bottom line: under this proposed legislation, workers are going to make more income. Additionally, the less talked about, but very important feature of this particular legislation is the $70+ million in new tax relief for all working families and individuals. The legislation increases wages and delivers assistance to the many workers and working class families that need help now in a net beneficial way," said Representative Johanson. 

The joint House-Senate-Governor proposal is designed to preserve existing worker benefits for the most economically vulnerable workers.  It ensures that minimum wage workers are less likely to have their employer paid for health care premiums compromised if the employer reduces hours to compensate for a mandated wage increase that they cannot afford. The proposal seeks to increase wages without inadvertently reducing an employee's hours or present benefits.

The bill package tackles the issues highlighted in the Aloha United Way sponsored report, "ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaii." The ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report describes the economic hardships facing many working individuals and families in Hawaiʻi. According to the report, after allocating monies to pay for expenses such as housing, child care, food, taxes, health care, and transportation, a family of four needs to earn roughly $77,000 a year simply to survive.

The bill now moves to the full House for second reading.

Read more at: Working Class Economic Support Package, Star Advertiser Editorial: Working Families Need More Relief.

---30---

Coverage: 

HNN: Minimum wage hike bill advances, but critics say it’s still not enough

SA: Key Hawaii House committees approve minimum wage increase, earned income credit

CB: Minimum Wage Bill Teed Up For House Vote

CB: Kim Coco Iwamoto To Take On Scott Saiki in protest of $13 minimum wage

HTH: Minimum wage boost advances: Rate would go from $10.10 per hour to $13 by 2024

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii