Ige signs minimum wage increase, tax rebate bills

HB2510 also makes the earned income tax credit permanent and refundable.

“This will increase income for working families and lead to greater stability in the workforce,” Ige said during the signing ceremony about the earned income tax credit move. “This is also much needed support for our community.”

Rep. Sylvia Luke also spoke during the ceremony and thanked everyone who patiently worked on the minimum wage issue for many years. She said coupling an increase to minimum wage with changes to the earned income tax credit is fundamental to helping the state’s working families.

“And to make (the earned income tax credit) refundable and to make it permanent, it provides hope for many of the people who are working to just make ends meet,” Luke said.

“Thank you to the governor and our legislators for putting the people first,” Jhoe Rosales, who earns the current state minimum wage of $10.10 per hour, said in a a joint press release from the Raise Up Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Tax Fairness coalitions. “This law will help my family make ends meet here in Hawaiʻi by helping us to pay for our rent, food and other necessities.”

“This historic legislation represents a significant and meaningful step toward transforming our economy so that it works for everyone, but much more remains to be done,” Gavin Thornton, Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice executive director, said in the joint press release from Raise Up Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Tax Fairness coalitions.

“Research consistently shows that, when families can afford to pay for their basic needs, the benefits reach deep within our society,” Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, added in the joint press release.

She said that beyond the proven economic benefits, the bills signed into law by Ige on Wednesday will help reduce poverty and inequality in the state, improving health outcomes and educational attainment for children in working families.