Leaders in Hawaii’s House of Representatives want to improve transparency, training and conduct standards in response to a pending bribery case involving two recent former state lawmakers.
House Speaker Scott Saiki on Wednesday announced a plan to reopen the state Capitol to the public March 7 followed by an ethics training session presented by the State Ethics Commission on March 9 for House members.
Saiki also announced that the commission has been asked to offer ethics training for lobbyists and government contractors, and that House members intend to create an independent panel to craft ideas for how to improve conduct, ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws.
Saiki said the moves represent preliminary plans that could be supplemented by other initiatives proposed further into this year’s legislative session.
“These preliminary actions reflect the House of Representatives’ resolve to be more transparent and to increase public participation in the legislative process,” he said in a statement. “The House also recognizes the need for much more to be done to build back the public’s trust.”
The Capitol reopening plan would require the
public to comply with the state’s COVID-19 safety policy requiring vaccination or a negative test result no more than 72 hours old.
However, Senate President Ron Kouchi reacted with surprise to Saiki’s announcement about reopening the Capitol, and said the head of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, Curt Otaguro, is being consulted about policies and procedures for reopening the
Capitol.
“The Senate will await official word from Mr. Ota-guro as to a firm reopening date and the policies and procedures for reopening the state Capitol to the
public,” Kouchi said in a statement.
Saiki said that starting March 7, all House committee hearings will be conducted in a hybrid manner with an option for oral public testimony to be provided in person or by videoconference.
Also starting March 7, according to Saiki, the House gallery will be open to the public during floor sessions under the state coronavirus safety policy, and House members will have to attend floor sessions and committee hearings in
person unless they receive an exemption under the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
Saiki said the planned changes were made in response to the bribery scandal involving former Sen. J. Kalani English and former Rep. Ty J.K. Cullen. The two ex-lawmakers were charged last week by federal agents of taking cash bribes and other items of value in recent years from a local business owner in return for action on legislation. They pleaded guilty Tuesday, and could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
As part of the envisioned reform initiative, ethics review training for House members would come about a year early. This training from the Ethics Commission is scheduled every other year and was last completed by House members in January 2021.
To create the reform panel, House Resolution 9 has been drafted and calls for the formation of the Commission to Increase Standards of Conduct. This seven-member panel would be charged with coming up with recommendations on how to improve current ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws as well as standard of conduct
regulations.
Saiki intends to appoint retired state appellate Judge Daniel R. Foley as chair.
Other proposed members are Robert Harris, executive director of the Ethics Commission; Kristin Izumi-Nitao, executive director of the Campaign Spending Commission; Sandy Ma, executive director of good government group Common Cause Hawaii; former state Rep. Barbara Marumoto; League of Women Voters member Janet Mason; and Florence Nakakuni, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii.
A goal is to have interim recommendations from the panel before March 31 followed by final recommendations before Dec. 1.
