Hix says even with the increase from 2014 to 2018, the economy grew — and wages increased for all earning levels.

"The number of businesses grew in Hawaiʻi as well. So if you just look at the data, the minimum wage is good for everybody," he said. "We're in support of (small businesses), right, this isn't an attack on them in the least this is, again, trying to help everybody."

"Fast-food workers, restaurant workers, grocery store workers. These are the people making a minimum wage at the low end of the spectrum, and we were absolutely dependent upon them during the pandemic. And so the idea that they should somehow not be able to put food on their own table, I think is no longer kind of something that we should consider," he said. "These people are absolutely necessary to our economy, these are our neighbors, these are our friends. And they should be paid fairly, regardless of the job that they're in."