Gambling with the needs of working families over who gets credit and how many crumbs to brush off the table is a sad and despicable testament to how far our House has fallen.

Speaker of the House Scott Saiki and Labor Committee Chair Richard Onishi continue to refuse a public hearing for SB2018 which increases the minimum wage in incremental steps from the present $10.10 to $18 in 2026. This measure passed the Senate almost unanimously and received supportive testimony from the governor. The House has blocked SB2018 for over 60 days while pushing their inferior HB2510.

It’s clear that Speaker Saiki’s goal is to force HB2510 into the conference committee process in order to demand the Senate pass “his bill” or no bill at all.

I was hoping that Finance Chair Sylvia Luke would step up and lead on this but unfortunately, so far she has not. While she did strengthen somewhat HB2510, her failure to insist on the passage of SB2018 continues the game of “chicken” between the House and Senate.

Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. If Representative Sylvia Luke the Chair of the powerful House Finance Committee wants this to happen, it will happen. While Speaker Saiki holds the title, at the minimum these two individuals are co-equal when it comes to power and control in the House.

Please take a moment to reach out to Finance Chair Sylvia Luke, Labor Chair Richard Onishi, and House Speaker Scott Saiki – today. Ask them politely and professionally to stop the games and do what’s right on behalf of workers – schedule and pass SB2018.

Gary Hooser http://www.garyhooser.com
Pono Hawaiʻi Initiative https://ponohawaiiinitiative.org

Note: Are you a small business owner who believes you can grow a successful business while not harming people and the planet? If so, please consider joining the recently formed Hawaii “Chamber of Sustainable Commerce”. https://www.chamberofsustainablecommerce.org