The House Labor Committee has finally scheduled Speaker Saiki’s minimum wage bill HB2510 to be heard this coming Tuesday and it’s absolutely essential that we flood the committee with testimony saying essentially –

$18 by 2026 is the compromise
Roses are red, violets are blue,
Anything less than $18 by 2026 simply won’t do.

HB2510 is a complicated measure that delays until the year 2030 increasing the minimum wage to $18 and has other components that are unacceptable. The Senate Bill SB2018 proposes phased-in increases that reach $18 by 2026. SB2018 has already passed the Senate and has the support of the governor.

TESTIFY TODAY BEFORE 9:30am MONDAY MORNING 02/14

Please tell the House Labor Committee that SB2018 is the bill we want to be passed. Hawaii’s workers deserve $18 at least by 2026!

See further sample testimony at the bottom.

Tell the committee your story and why increasing the minimum wage is important to you and your family.

Keep it short if you like. But submit something, please.

If you are unfamiliar with the process: To testify, you must go to the Capitol Website, register (it’s very easy), sign in, and then voila!

Info provided on this page courtesy of Raise Up Hawaii
 
The House Labor Committee is hearing HB2510, a slower minimum wage increase that would move the minimum wage up to $18 by 2030, except for tipped workers. We need all the testimony we can get to demonstrate broad support for the faster, better Senate language in SB2018.

Hearing: Tues., Feb. 15, 9:30 AM (sign up for zoom if can!)
Testimony Due: Mon., Feb. 14, 9:30 AM (late testimony also accepted)

HB2510, proposed by the State House leadership team, also contains multiple tax credit provisions that are generally good for working families. It is our belief that House leadership is bundling these tax credits into their inferior minimum wage bill as a way to try and force us to support the bill.
 
Fortunately, the tax credit provisions in HB2510 also exist in other bills that are still alive and doing well.
 
Therefore, Raise Up Hawaiʻi suggests either submitting testimony as “Comments” or “Opposition” to HB2510, but we understand if some folks feel they have no choice but to “Support with Amendments.” The most important thing is to hammer home the message:
 
$18 by 2026 is the compromise position when it already costs more than that to survive in Hawaiʻi today.

Sample Testimony
 
Dear House Committee on Labor & Tourism,
 
Although I support some of the provisions in this bill, I must respectfully submit my opposition to HB2510. It already costs more than $19 an hour for a single adult with no children to just barely make ends meet in Hawaiʻi today. It is absolutely imperative that we reach $18 an hour by 2026 if working families are to find the economic relief that the legislature has promised to provide. Anything less than that is simply too slow to catch the tens of thousands of struggling Hawaiʻi workers back up to a livable level.
 
The worthy tax credit proposals in this bill also exist in other, less complicated bills, and should be advanced forward using those legislative vehicles instead.
 
The Senate has handed the House a clean $18 by 2026 bill in SB2018. It is now up to the House to do what is best for Hawaiʻi’s hardworking families and for its economic health and agree to the Senate proposal. Send SB2018 to the governor’s desk for signature instead of this bill. 
 
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.

[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood or House District]

Getting acquainted with the Capitol website
 
Make your voice heard at the state legislature! It’s easy to register for an account to submit written testimony. And, you’ll be able to testify from home! To learn about the new remote testimony process, watch this helpful video.