Off the News: Minimum-wage workers get a raise

It’s long overdue, but still a relief for minimum wage earners: Gov. David Ige has signed a bill into law that moves the minimum hourly wage to $12 on Oct. 1, $14 on Jan. 1, 2024, $16 in 2026 and $18 in 2028. About 190,000 people in Hawaii will get a wage boost, generating spending that helps the state’s economy.

Low-income workers also will be helped by the bill’s making Hawaii’s earned income tax credit refundable and permanent. Eligible families could receive about $400, according to House Finance Committee chair Sylvia Luke. With Hawaii’s high cost of living, this tax adjustment helps.