Diane is KITV4’s weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter. She hosts the Aging Well series on Tuesday evenings at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. She is a mother, a cat owner, and a yogi.
The minimum wage could go up differently in different counties in Hawaii if a bill that's at the state legislature passes.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The minimum wage could go up differently in different counties in Hawaii if a bill that's at the state legislature passes.
The bill was included in the Maui County Council Legislative Package.
Councilmember Gabe Johnson wrote what's become House Bill 111 in the State House and Senate Bill 230 in the State Senate. The idea is that it costs more to live in some counties, so the county government should have the autonomy to give their constituents more.
Johnson is a Maui County Councilmember representing Lanai.
"Maui County is more expensive than, say, Island of Hawaii. Maybe we can have a higher wage than they would because we'd know better what our workers are making. Everyone know cost of living varies throughout the different counties,'' he said.
The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism did a study to find out how much it costs a single adult to live self-sufficiently and found it can vary as much as 27% between counties.
Johnson cites that 2021 Self-Sufficiency Income Standard report.
"In the County of Maui it's $17.84 for self sufficiency, but the cost of houses in Maui County are at $1.1 million. During COVID, rents rose 41%," he said.
The minimum wage in the state is $12 an hour, and will increase to $14 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The minimum wage has only increased four times in the last 30 years.
"This bill makes the counties more nimble, able to reflect on what the cost of living is, and let the counties decide," he said.
Since the aforementioned DBEDT report, Johnson says, costs have only continued to rise in the County, meaning that workers’ wages are falling behind the cost of living.
Diane is KITV4’s weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter. She hosts the Aging Well series on Tuesday evenings at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. She is a mother, a cat owner, and a yogi.
