HCAN Speaks! applauds passage of bills that give working families relief

Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network Speaks! (HCAN Speaks!), a nonprofit advocacy organization supporting Hawaiʻi families, is celebrating the passage of several bills that are aimed at giving working families relief.

“It always takes more effort to ensure these bills get appropriate attention,” said Deborah Zysman, executive director of HCAN Speaks!. “The importance of these bills is overlooked even though they get to the heart of fundamental, underlying issues that address systemic, costly challenges in our state.”

More than 3,000 bills were introduced in this past legislative session. Organization leaders say family-friendly bills often meet resistance because the costs associated with their implementation are viewed as an imposition on businesses or the state, or their implementation is too complex. These bills may also be dismissed altogether, overshadowed by competing state priorities.

“Mahalo to our legislators and the Department of Human Services Child Care Program Office for helping a few bills make it past the finish line,” Zysman added. “Well be back again next session to continue our fight for families.”

Out of the nearly dozen bills that the HCAN Speaks! was actively supporting, three bills passed and are now headed to the governor’s office for approval:

• Preschool Open Doors program (HB692) The Preschool Open Doors program will expand subsidies to improve access to affordable early learning for families with two-year-old children and provide more early learning options for families. This will contribute to the early development of keiki and set them on a positive trajectory. Child care is the second largest expense after housing, which is especially critical for a third of Hawaiʻi’s asset-limited, income-constrained, employed (ALICE) families.
• Expansion of Free School Meals (SB1300) Free school meals expansion addresses the issue of food insecurity. For many Hawaiʻi children, a school lunch is their only source of nutritious food for the entire day. Aloha United Way’s January 2025 report noted that 46% of Hawaiʻi’s asset-limited, income-constrained, employed (ALICE) households struggle with consistent food insecurity. Over the next two years, students eligible for reduced lunch will be able to access free school meals, and meals must be provided to students regardless of their account balance.
• Paid Family and Medical Leave Working Group (SCR145) A resolution to form a working group to explore the implementation of a paid family and medical leave benefit will help to advance the ongoing, seven-year discussion on this benefit and address the issue of takingtime off from work to care for themselves or loved ones with a chronic, disabling, or serious health condition, or a new child without fear of losing their jobs or income. This also alleviates the stress of the “sandwich generation,” family caregivers sandwiched between their children or grandchildren and older family members or friends for whom they also care.

According to HCAN Speaks!, two bills that could have contributed to the well-being of families, but died this session are:

• Early Learning Apprenticeship Grant Program (HB549) Hawaiʻi faces critical shortages of early learning professionals, and the early learning apprenticeship program would have supported the recruitment, retention, and upskilling of these professionals by offering higher pay and on-the-job training while improving the quality of early learning programs. The on-the-job experience with classroom learning would have allowed the apprentices to earn while they learn. Apprentices develop expertise in child development and learning, teaching strategies, and classroom management under the tutelage of a mentor. Upon completing the program, apprentices would receive their associate’s degree and child development associate (CDA) credential.
• Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Increase (HB753) This bill would have allowed families to increase the maximum percentage of household and dependent care expenses that may be claimed for the tax credit. Without this adjustment, the amounts that can be claimed for household and dependent care services will provide limited benefit to working families.