Long ago and far away — that would be the 2023 legislative session — lawmakers passed a couple of things aimed at ensuring more transparency by lobbyists and lawmakers. That was the year the House Commission on Standards of Conduct came up with a pretty good wish list of legislative reforms, some of which actually managed to pass and be signed into law.
On Wednesday, at least two measures of note are finally kicking in. One is the former House Bill 137 now known as Act 8. This long-overdue requirement means lobbyists will need to include much more detail on their reports about who was lobbied and for what purpose.
In addition to laying out how much is being spent for lobbyist compensation, media and advertising, gifts, entertainment and meals (among other things), lobbyists will now have to specify the bill number or identify the administrative action they are lobbying on.
Seems like a no-brainer, right? But in Hawai‘i that had never been a requirement making it very hard to track the politics of money and power.
The Blog is eagerly awaiting the new round of financial disclosures that lawmakers are required to file annually. That’s because as of Wednesday lawmakers will need to reveal the names of lobbyists with whom they have a relationship. The law would apply to spouses, business partners, employers and officers and directors of the employer. Also covered are lobbyist clients of legislators that paid the lawmaker at least $5,000.
This measure started life as House Bill 141 and is now known as Act 123, for those who want more details.
Also taking effect Wednesday is Act 12, which was known as House Bill 1599 as it moved successfully through the 2024 Legislature.
It requires that notices for public meetings explain to the public how to provide remote oral testimony in a way that makes the testifier visible to board members and others tuning in via Zoom or similar platforms.
The new law, which came from House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chair David Tarnas, had the backing of the Public First Law Center and ACLU of Hawai‘i.
“This ensures that members of the public have the opportunity to fully express their views and promotes civil discourse,” the center’s Ben Creps testified during session.
“People who live on the neighbor islands, in rural communities, those who lack transportation or childcare and those with disabilities or illness who are unable to attend hearings in person would have an opportunity to be heard and seen, as communication includes words and body language,” testified the ACLU’s Carrie Ann Shirota.
Act 12 has as an added bonus the requirement that a board has the authority to remove and block individuals who disrupt meetings. Perhaps the State Elections Commission can make good use of this one.
Full article can be found here: https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/12/the-sunshine-blog-police-commission-pr...