STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1110

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 671

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 671, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CODE OF ETHICS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Prohibit certain state officials and employees from representing certain interests before the State for twelve months after termination from their respective positions; and

(2) Specify that the prohibition against disclosing certain information applies to those who were employed by the State for less than one hundred eighty-one days.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission, Common Cause Hawai‘i, and twelve individuals.

Your Committee finds that that it is in the public interest to keep a distinct wall of separation between lobbyists and the State's elected officials and certain other government employees. Your Committee further finds that prohibiting elected officials, employees of the Legislature, and certain other high-ranking state officials from representing other interests before the State or before former colleagues with whom they have served, for twelve months after termination from their respective government positions will reduce any appearance of corruption and increase public confidence in the integrity of state government.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing an exemption from the twelve-month representation prohibition for persons holding interim or acting positions for less than one hundred eighty-one days;

(2) Clarifying the specific board, authority, or commission executive directors, directors, or administrators that are included in the representation prohibition;

(3) Changing the effective date to January 1, 2022; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 671, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 671, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair