How Hawaiʻi’s Salary Commission Failed the People

While kamaʻāina families struggle to pay rent, buy groceries, and keep a roof over their heads, the Hawaiʻi Commission on Salaries quietly approved large pay increases for lawmakers, judges, and top executives, some rising nearly 50 percent over the next five years.

They did so with little public outreach, little notice, and even less transparency.

It is governance done in secret, while working families carry the burden of Hawaiʻi’s rising cost of living.

Most residents have never even heard of the Commission’s meetings.

There were no genuine efforts to notify the public, no community listening sessions, and no outreach to those most impacted by Hawaiʻi’s affordability crisis.

The process technically met legal requirements, but it was structured in a way that prevented ordinary citizens from participating.

Even more concerning, the commissioners themselves, appointed by Governor Josh Green, come from the same political and legal circles that will directly benefit from the raises.

These are not neutral citizens. They are insiders, longtime power brokers, and trusted allies of the political establishment.

The raises they approved are enormous.

Legislative salaries will increase from approximately $74,000 to over $114,000 by 2030, despite the Legislature being a part‑time body.

Judges, directors, and the governor will also receive significant increases.

Meanwhile, thousands of families across the islands deal with unaffordable housing costs, food insecurity, and stagnant wages.

For them, the Commission’s decision feels like a betrayal – a reminder that those in power keep putting themselves first.

The most unacceptable part of the process is how easily lawmakers allowed these raises to take effect.

Under the Hawaiʻi Constitution, if the Legislature takes no action, the Commission’s recommendations automatically become law.

No debate, no explanation, no accountability.

By staying silent, they ensured the pay raises would take effect in the next Legislature without having to support them openly.

It is a loophole that protects elected officials from accountability, and it reveals just how disconnected the system has become from the people it is supposed to serve.