Issue Position: Family and Economic Stability

Issue Position

Making it easier for families to survive in Hawaiʻi economically has been a topic of discussion for decades, and after all previous efforts under a one-party monopoly government, there is still more work to do. Local families today are often worse off than in previous generations. Many of our families, friends, and neighbors have chosen to leave Hawaiʻi. Many of them live a single paycheck away from homelessness and have lost the hope that things will get better. This is due, in part, to a government that is lacking advocates for substantive investments in local businesses. The state has focused successfully on education and training programs, but when students graduate, there are limited opportunities for work in their respective industries. In turn, Hawaiʻi is losing too much of the talent and expertise that have come from this investment. We can reverse this by making several systemic changes and providing incentives for employers to hire more people at better wages. I plan on achieving that by attracting more business industries to Hawaiʻi through having a government that is more helpful to business and which keeps its commitment to promises made. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Hawaiʻi 47th in the nation to do business based on the business environment, access to resources, and business costs. When I am re-elected to the State Senate, I will do everything in my power to increase Hawaiʻi's standing and make it a place where businesses and industries thrive for future generations of skilled workers.

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