It may still have to get through the Hawaiian House of Representatives, but the state Senate gave almost unanimous approval to a fast-tracked bill raising the state minimum wage to $18 per hour. SB 2018, which passed by a vote of 24-1 in the 25-member senate, rapidly phases in increases to the current $10.10 per hour minimum with the first jump to $12 per hour by October, followed by $3 per hour increases in 2024 and 2026 to reach $18 by that time. The bill now goes to the House, where it is expected to meet some resistance – a pending House bill (HB. 2510) also hikes the state minimum, but over a more gradual timeline with $1 annual increases starting in 2023 and reaching $18 an hour in 2030. The House legislation also uses tax credits to help soften the negative impact of such a dramatic increase. A Chamber of Commerce Hawaii survey of 355 businesses found that a full third of respondents would have to close their business in the face of an $18 per hour minimum wage.