Leaders Split on Lawmaker Disclosure Deadline

Civil Beat composite

A bill introduced this session at the Hawaii Legislature, if passed, could shed a more timely light on the relationship between elected and appointed officials and the business of government.

Senate Bill 2609 would require the officials to file a public financial disclosure chronicling the previous year's activities with the Hawaii State Ethics Commission before the new legislative session begins each January.

As currently written, the law allows them to wait until May 31, nearly a month after sine die.

There's a lot of bills on insurance, mortgage foreclosures, renewable energy, agriculture, health and broadband this session. Wouldn't it be nice to know if a lawmaker voting on bills that impact these industries was also financially connected to them?

Asked whether they'd support SB 2609, Senate President Shan Tsutsui said through a spokeswoman he was "open to the idea of moving up the filing deadline for financial disclosure forms."

A spokeswoman for House Speaker Calvin Say, however, said Say has "not yet considered the bill, and, therefore, has not yet taken a position."

SB 2609, introduced by Sen. Sam Slom, a Republican, has not been scheduled a hearing, and if it doesn't get one by March 8, it's probably dead.

That means that disclosure information won't be useful — i.e., revealing any link between legislators and special interests — until at least the 2013 session.

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