Authorizes the ethics commission to determine the salary of executive director without statutory restraints.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in order to avoid conflicts of interest, preserve the highest ethical standards, and maintain the appearance of propriety, the executive director of the state ethics commission should be appointed independently of those the commission oversees. The legislature further finds that essential to this philosophy is the authority of the commission to dictate the salary level for an executive director, rather than allowing another body, over which the commission has jurisdiction, to establish such salary. The commission is instead the appropriate body to determine the executive director's salary in addition to other related administrative functions regarding those in its employ.

The purpose of this Act is to authorize the state ethics commission to establish the salary of the executive director without statutory restraints.

SECTION 2. Section 84-35, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§84-35 Staff. The ethics commission may employ and at pleasure remove such persons, including an executive director, as it may deem necessary for the performance of its functions[. The salary of the executive director shall not exceed that of a deputy under section 26-53. The commission shall] and fix the compensations of its employees within the amounts made available by appropriation therefor. The employees of the commission shall be exempt from chapter 76."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.