Tax relief, affordable housing and other pocketbook issues are on many residents' minds as the Legislature opens this morning.

They will be on lawmakers' minds, too, as the Legislature convenes the second half of its 23rd session. Democratic and Republican leaders will deliver speeches highlighting their agendas for the term, which will stretch through the beginning of May.

Proposals already announced by politicians make it clear that many of their top priorities mirror what The Advertiser found in a random sampling of opinions among readers and other members of the public.

Education — including the limited options for early education — is a hot topic, especially among parents. Homelessness also ranks high among issues that members of the public hope lawmakers will address this year.

Physician Willie Parker, 43, said he hopes legislators will consider issues that help the greatest number of people as they decide how to use a $574 million budget surplus.

"A budget is a moral document," Parker said. "It says what the priorities are. Let's make sure your priorities are properly ordered."

Parker thinks some of the surplus should shore up the public schools. Some should also go toward affordable housing, which soaring prices have made an issue even for those well above the poverty level, he said.

"People who are traditionally middle-class are being pressed out of some of the most basic things, like being able to own a home," Parker said.

Dealing with affordable housing would also be a step toward addressing homelessness. "(Lawmakers) need to be mindful that it is our responsibility to take care of everyone here, not just the taxpayers," he said.

Taxes are on many people's minds as elected officials consider whether part of the state's surplus should be returned to taxpayers, either as a rebate, by increasing the standard deduction or by expanding the lower tax brackets.

"I think that tax is probably the most important issue," said Beverly Davis, a retired psychiatric nurse instructor.

Davis supports tax relief at least for the poor and wants the Legislature to consider improving services for low-income residents and the elderly with "anything that affects the people who are marginalized."

She also wants to see more money spent on education and thinks increasing pay for teachers is a good place to start and more critical than repair and maintenance at the public schools. Ideally, however, she said, "they should do both."

Account administrator Jo Madiro, 37, sees value in physical improvements at the schools. "We should have some funding for the dilapidated buildings," she said.

Yolanda Amerson, 36, a state-employed social worker, said she also wants to see an increase in the number of qualified teachers.

As the mother of a 15-month-old boy, Amerson is also keenly interested in childcare and early education. Middle-income families do not qualify for financial aid or government-sponsored programs that provide services for low-income children, and the remaining choices are limited and expensive.

Some parents feel as if they are working just to pay for childcare, she said.

Ross Izumigawa said one way to deal with the affordable housing issue is by continuing the Hula Mae program, which helps first-time homebuyers.

"The expiration of the Hula Mae program (this month) means 'affordable housing' is again unaffordable because of rising interest rates," he wrote. "Immediate action on the Hula Mae program can continue to help families realize home ownership, even in today's housing market."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.