Hawaii

New report shows significant increase in keiki poverty in Hawaii

Published

6 months ago

October 22, 2025

New report shows significant increase in keiki poverty in Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new national report is raising the alarm about a sharp rise in Hawaii children living in poverty.

The report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows child poverty has risen by one-third since the pandemic.

Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, said the increase amounts to about 8,000 more children now living in poverty.

“One of the main reasons for this increase in child poverty is the loss of pandemic supports the federal stimulus and the child tax credit,” Woo said. “Without those kinds of financial supports, families are falling back into poverty in Hawaii and across the country.”

The report also found that without current programs like food assistance, rental aid and tax credits, the number of children in poverty would more than double from about 37,000 to 84,000, or one in four keiki statewide.

“Parents are struggling between paying for food, paying for rent and all those crucial things that keiki need to thrive,” Woo said.

That includes families like Mia Hall’s. The military spouse and family engagement specialist says her household falls under what Aloha United Way calls an ALICE family: asset limited, income constrained, yet employed.

She says the ongoing government shutdown has made life even harder.

“We do live paycheck to paycheck, which is true for a lot of families in Hawaii,” Hall said. “I have a second part-time job, but it’s still not enough to make up for the loss we’d experience if my husband didn’t get paid.”

Hall says the shutdown also disrupted care for her son, who has autism and Tourette’s syndrome.

“They just cut off all the therapies for my son, his occupational therapy, his physical therapy everything he needs,” she said.

The Hawaii Children’s Action Network encourages families in need to visit hawaiifoodhelp.com, which connects residents to programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and free school meals.

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Hawaii

Hawaii lawmakers push for continued tax relief for most families

Published

31 minutes ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii lawmakers push for continued tax relief for most families

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii State Legislature is entering the final weeks of the 2025 session with at least one point of agreement: income taxes will continue to decline for most families.

Both the House and Senate rejected the governor’s plan to cancel some tax relief, despite earlier uncertainty about the state’s financial situation.

“So what the Senate’s position is, is we want to make sure that the promises that were made are kept, especially with those families that make $350,000 a year or less,” said Senate Ways and Means chair Donovan Dela Cruz.

House Finance chair Rep. Chris Todd agreed the priority is ensuring ongoing tax relief.

Energy tax credits targeted to offset revenue loss

Continuing to reduce taxes means nearly $2 billion has to come from somewhere else. The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to eliminate state energy tax credits for things like solar power and electric cars in 2029.

The credits could be saved if the economy improves.

“So this becomes a shared approach. Government cuts, business tax credits, get sunset, and then we’re still charging some of the higher end income brackets,” Dela Cruz said. “Their tax breaks are going to get repealed.”

House proposes tax increase on high earners

The House moved along a redesigned tax package that makes tax credits for spending on child care and food more generous and raises income taxes on families with incomes over $350,000.

“It would provide some ongoing tax relief to low to middle income families, but in return, we would request a 1% tax increase on very high income families,” Todd said.

The financial picture is clearer now, even with flood disaster costs, because of the federal disaster declaration.

“Now the state’s eligible to get reimbursed for a lot of these funds. We’re not sure what it’s going to look like, but that’s going to be positive for us,” Dela Cruz said.

Todd said the state is sitting on a solid reserve, a luxury not many states have right now.

All the proposals from the House and the Senate are now going into conference committee, where the final details will be worked out over the next month.

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