Working families continue to shoulder the brunt of the hardship from a COVID-19 scourge that rages on, despite hopeful projections that an easing may be around the corner. Figuring out how to help them after two bruising years of public-health and economic turbulence will be one of the top agenda items of the 2022 session when it convenes on Wednesday.

The economy has rebounded better than expected, resulting in higher tax collections. That’s now at the center of a standoff between Gov. David Ige and members of his own party, the Democratic leadership of the state Legislature.

Ige’s concern, and it’s a rational one, is that the course of the pandemic is still uncertain, and that Washington, D.C.’s political will to provide states with further relief aid has ebbed. Hawaii, which had to borrow funds to pay salaries at one point, now should rely on its own resources, he said.

For Ige that means plowing about $1 billion back into the state’s rainy-day fund, which needs replenishing after being used to patch many budgetary holes. Lawmakers are resisting this move, having instead laid out an extensive spending list.

Clashes between the state Capitol’s chambers and the fifth floor have been common over the course of Ige’s two terms, so it’s not surprising that his tenure as governor should end with one. However, if there was ever a time when a middle ground should be possible, it’s now.

Legislators should make a healthy investment now toward restoring the state’s fiscal buffer. This is an election year, and the public, to be served by as-yet-unnamed lawmakers, should not be left without a safety net.

As for what the current leadership should do, there are some good ideas circulating:

>> Raise the minimum hourly wage — $15 would be a good starting point, raising the floor of household earnings in a service economy, with further increases tied to a cost-of-living index.

And while raising pay may be a lift for some small businesses, the hiring market conditions now, in which many workers can command a higher wage, already has far outpaced Hawaii’s outdated $10.10 hourly rate.

>> Examine where the state’s public-health infrastructure needs reinforcement. The surge of the ultra-transmissable omicron variant has strained contract tracing capabilities, and vaccination strength is ebbing; the state’s travel screening program should be updated with more effective requirements for vaccine “passports.”

>> Provide needed support for public schools helping students overcome learning loss. This should prompt a discussion on distance-learning capacity, as well as stabilizing the teaching workforce. Underwriting some hiring incentives, such as housing subsidies, could be part of the contract negotiations, for example.

And certainly legislators should seek solutions to the shortage of substitute teachers that the current surge in cases has exposed; they should explore ways to improve pay and bring on more retirees.

>> Focus on environmental concerns, including mitigation of climate change effects and care of our popular natural resources. Visitor fees at certain sites can help with protection of resources, enabled through gated parking or on a voluntary basis by donations at kiosks.

Finally, lawmakers need to find a way to make their work more transparent to the public. Leadership can start by fulling complying with the Hawaii Supreme Court’s order striking down the “gut and replace” shortcut for speeding through bills with minimal public review.

Even given the continued pandemic restrictions that have kept the doors shut, leaders must know: The voters will be watching how they conduct themselves, and what they deliver.