In the interest of full-disclosure, I am the Policy Advocate for the ACLU of Hawaii. However, the opinion expressed here is solely mine and does not in any way reflect that of the ACLU of Hawaii or anyone else who works there.

The recent news that the State Salary Commission has recommended massive pay raises for legislators, department heads, and legislators forces me to recall the last time this question arose, right as the COVID-19 pandemic was wreaking havoc on the state economy.

While beyond the authority of the Commission, the timing of their newest recommendations comes as the State is likely staring down significant (if not debilitating) budget gaps as a result of Trump, Musk, and their kleptocratic cronies.

The raises that were ultimately adopted, though delayed, were minor compared to the massive raises being recommended.

Failing the State

If raises, at least in the private sector, are a reflection of good work, it should be easy to show that no one in the legislature deserves a raise. They’ve failed to make any, ANY progress on policies that would benefit residents and workers across the islands:

• Paid Family Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Progressive Taxation
• A Living Wage
• Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization
• Free School Meals
• Bail Reform
• Policing Reform
• Publicly-Funded Elections

Year after year, after year, they kick the can down the road, opting instead for baby-steps. Or worse, another study they’ll simply ignore. Then, on Sine Die (the last day of session), they applaud and pat themselves on the back for a victorious session. I’m sorry, but the people of Hawaii simply don’t agree.

So why should legislators get a raise now? Or frankly, ever?

They won’t even have an open and public conversation about the proposed raises. Rightly fearing public backlash and admonitions. Pre-session promises from the new House Leadership told us they would be more open and transparent. But on an issue as important and vitriolic as this, they chose to duck and cover?

Living Wages? Give. Me. A. Break.

I’ve worked on every effort to raise the minimum wage since 2012. Each one has been a fight. Talk about a “living wage” and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism’s (DBEDT) Self-Sufficiency has largely fallen on deaf ears, while legislative hand-wringing about the effect on small business and the underlying reason for a minimum wage in the first place. A couple of past posts can be seen here and here.

In 2021, when last this issue was discussed, several legislators were offended that advocates would draw a line from their proposed raises to an increase in the minimum wage. As if, somehow, the two weren’t related?

This year, the Salary Commission, through their Chair, former Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, questioned, “doesn’t a legislator have the right to having a living wage?” Tone-deaf as usual, I don’t think Chair Hanabusa has a real understanding of what the term means. So here’s a little education for her. And for the rest of her Commission.

According to DBEDT’s 2023 Self-Sufficiency Report, the annual wage needed for an individual to scrape by in Hawaii with no public assistance was $41,245 in 2022. For a family of four, that figure was $96,696.

The average salary for a sitting legislator is $74,160. And many of them have other jobs.

And let’s go further. The average salary for a public school teacher is $59,222. The average salary for a state worker is $66,267.

Even worse, for a worker making minimum wage this year, their annual wage is a meager $26,880.

Pardon me for the language, but I haven’t the foggiest clue what the hell Hanabusa is talking about. Our “part-time” legislators, while not rolling in dough, certainly aren’t struggling nearly as much as state workers, public school teachers, or “essential workers” making minimum wage.

Hanabusa’s indignation on behalf of legislators, department heads, or judges is gross and offensive.

Let’s Focus on State Workers First.

Nearly every legislative session, we hear about how much the various departments are struggling to conduct their work on behalf of the people of Hawaii. Razor thin budgets, high position vacancy rates, and aging or obsolete equipment have all been cited by departments over the years for the slow rate of their work.

For our immediate purposes, I’m going to focus primarily on the high vacancy and turn-over rates.

I’m not aware of a single executive department that isn’t struggling to recruit and retain workers. Add to this challenge the fact that they have to defend necessary, but vacant, positions from being axed every year by the legislature to “save money.”

In twenty-plus years I’ve spent in and around the Capitol, I can’t remember a single session during which there weren’t conversations about how to fill those positions.

So when the Salary Commission defends its recommended increases ranging from 35% to 48%, to say that I am offended is an understatement.

One of two main arguments, as best as I can tell, for the massive raises is to attract more and better talent. To the legislature, executive, and judiciary branches.

In a draft report from the Commission in early March said, “In all, the Commission’s consensus view is that to recruit and retain highly qualified public officials who can perform at the level the State and residents expect and deserve, increases of the recommended magnitudes are necessary.” Should we remotely be surprised by this sentiment from a group of former elected officials and department heads?

I would say the same thing about state workers and the very high vacancy rate. But of course, legislators can’t be bothered to have even a conversation about it. Not to mention how cranky they get whenever they’re forced to discuss raising the minimum wage.

In the meantime, every single judge and director-level position listed in the Commission’s draft report is already making a six-figure salary.

Just Say “NO.”

I don’t deny that we need to attract good talent to these positions, but I’m offended by the priority. Residents are most immediately impacted by the work done by departments and their staff. Not by directors, their deputies, or even the circuit court judges or the Governor.

But given the composition of the Salary Commission, is it really any wonder they believe these folks are so underpaid as to be entitled to percentage raises of 30%-50%?

We must demand, at a minimum, a conversation on this issue. The legislature should not simply be able to duck under the bend and wait for the clock to run out. Beyond that, residents must contact their legislators to express their objection to these obscene and grossly excessive raises while the rest of us struggle to eke out an existence.