Last week marked one year since I took office as governor — and I’d like to provide an update on the challenges we’ve faced and the progress we’ve made as a state over the last 12 months.

When our administration took office, we made it our mission to bring people together to take on our biggest challenges, and take action on the issues that matter most — and that’s what we’ve worked hard to do.

Affordability, housing and homelessness

We took immediate action to reduce the high cost of living in our state and make Hawaii more affordable for working families.

In the 2023 legislative session, we introduced and passed phase one of the Green Affordability Plan, providing $104 million in direct income tax relief to Hawaii’s ALICE families in the first year alone — with further phases to include the child and dependent tax credit, providing up to $250 million more in annual tax relief over time.

In January, I signed an Emergency Proclamation on Homelessness to cut through red tape preventing much needed action, and allow us to begin construction of 12 or more kauhale villages in the coming years.

With our state more than 50,000 units short of our housing needs and too many local families leaving for the mainland because they simply can’t afford housing in Hawaii, we also took action on the housing crisis.

Using emergency powers, I appointed a committee of leading experts to approve new housing projects more quickly, and they have already approved over 10,000 new units of affordable housing.

Finally, I made 22 reductions in the budget through line-item vetoes, saving over $1 billion and allowing us to better address critical issues such as affordable housing and homelessness.

Education, equality and women’s rights

In April, we demonstrated our commitment to public education with the successful negotiation of a new four-year contract with the Hawaii State Teachers Association — which was ratified with the overwhelming support of 92% of HSTA members and represents a victory for teachers, students and schools across our state.

We also defended the rights of women in Hawaii by signing Senate Bill 1 into law, protecting women’s right to choose by ensuring access to reproductive health care — and by appointing several female judges to our courts to achieve full gender parity.

Red Hill

The military began removing the fuel from Red Hill on Oct. 16, more than five months ahead of schedule — and as of last week, it has already drained 103 million gallons from the tanks, or 99.5% of the total.

The goal of Joint Task Force-Red Hill is to remove the last 0.5% of the fuel in the early months of next year — allowing us to close the facility permanently so it never again poses a threat to our health or the safety of our water.

Gun violence

In October, we held the state’s first meaningful gun buyback event in decades — and in just a few hours, the departments of Law Enforcement and of Public Safety were able to get nearly 500 firearms off our streets in exchange for Foodland gift cards, with no questions asked and no ID required.

This initiative, along with our commitment to creating safe places from guns and signing of key firearms-related legislation on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, will help make our communities safer and protect our keiki from deadly violence.

Health care

In September, we announced a groundbreaking loan repayment program to address our state’s shortage of health-care professionals.

The Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program provides an unprecedented $30 million in educational debt repayment to health-care providers, helping ensure that rural and underserved communities across our state have access to the care they need.

Within five years, Hawaii will be the only state in the nation without a shortage of doctors or nurses, and we will finally be able to bring an end to health care disparities that many of our communities have suffered with for too long.

Maui recovery

On Aug. 8, devastating fires swept through West Maui — destroying Lahaina, taking the lives of 100 of our loved ones, and leaving thousands homeless.

The American Red Cross, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and FEMA relocated thousands of displaced families to dozens of hotels and hundreds of short term rentals on Maui — housing over 8,000 displaced people in more than 2,400 units across some 40 properties in just 14 days.

FEMA registered over 17,000 survivors for services, and will provide them with more than 18 months of rental assistance to ensure that they are housed well into 2025.

Since Aug. 8, we have disbursed over $120 million in housing assistance to those affected by the disaster, and they will receive another $130 million in state and federal aid.

I authorized an additional $100 million dollars from a special Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund — or TANF — to help affected families pay for housing, transportation, food, clothing and other needs.

In November, we brought community and business leaders together to create the Maui Recovery Fund, which will rapidly provide funds to Maui families who have lost loved ones or suffered serious injuries.

Participation in the fund will be completely voluntary, with the goal of getting as much money as possible to affected families as quickly as possible — cutting out delays and eliminating uncertainty.

Our path forward

Over the past 12 months we have faced difficult challenges, devastating loss, and unimaginable heartbreak in Hawaii.

But what I saw in my first year as governor also inspired me.

Even in our most difficult times, I saw the people of Hawaii rally in support of each another, rather than turning against each other — again and again reaching out and asking, “What can we do to help?” and “How can we give to those who are suffering?”

I’m confident that in the coming years, if we continue to live up to our values and put them into action the way we did this year, there is no challenge we can’t overcome, and no goal we can’t accomplish together.

Josh Green is governor of the state of Hawaii.