Sixty Percent of Hawaii Senators Filed Disclosure Reports After Session
Updated 6/6/11 12:30 p.m.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz had not filed his 2011 financial disclosure with the Hawaii Ethics Commission. As of June 2, his disclosure had not been posted to the ethics commission’s website. Civil Beat had been informed by commission representatives that the website was up to date and representative of who had filed. As of June 6, Dela Cruz’s disclosure has been posted on the website, with a time stamp indicating that he filed his disclosure with the commission May 19. You can view his disclosure .
More than 60 percent of Hawaii senators did not file their financial disclosures during the 2011 Legislature.
Of the Legislature’s 24 senators, 16 filed after session ended on May 5. Among those who did file during the session, four reported in February, two more in March, and two during the last week — one on May 3 and the other on May 5.
The annual disclosures detail assets, income and financial ties of lawmakers and state employees. The reports can be valuable in determining if a politician has a potential conflict of interest when voting.
Hawaii law does not require lawmakers file disclosures while the Legislature is in session. But the late filing deadline, a loophole in the law, effectively renders the information useless.
The disclosures of the six senators who filed before the last week of the session could have been useful for identifying possible conflicts. But for the rest, the next time the reports will be applicable is the 2012 legislative session, long past any vote that could appear to have been influenced by a financial relationship.
Civil Beat found most House representatives also failed to file during session.
This year, legislators were required to fill out a disclosure, as opposed to the . The short form is used every other year and gives the option to check off a box indicating there have been no financial changes since the long form was filed.
More than a third of senators indicated changes to their disclosures since 2010. Those changes reflect what one might expect.
For example, Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland’s shows she now owes less money to creditors. Sen. Carol Fukunaga the value of some real estate she owns.
Another senator, Ronald Kouchi, indicated a change in .
The table below shows when each senator filed their disclosure, and whether or not they changed it from 2010.
| Senator | 2011 Disclosure Filing Date | Changes From 2010 Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Rosalyn H. Baker | May 25 | Yes |
| Suzanne N. Chun Oakland | February 23 | Yes |
| Donovan M. Dela Cruz | No Disclosure on File | N/A+ |
| J. Kalani English | May 6 | Yes |
| William C. Espero | May 27 | No |
| Carol A. Fukunaga | May 27 | Yes |
| Gerald M. Gabbard | May 5 | No |
| Brickwood M. Galuteria | May 31 | No |
| Joshua B. Green | May 31 | No |
| Clayton H. Hee | May 24 | N/A++ |
| David Y. Ige | May 24 | Yes |
| Les S. Ihara, Jr. | June 1 | N/A+++ |
| Gilbert Kahele | March 9 | N/A++ |
| Michelle N. Kidani | May 11 | Yes |
| Donna M. Kim | May 23 | No |
| Ronald D. Kouchi | May 6 | Yes |
| Clarence K. Nishihara | February 6 | No |
| Ellen L. Pohaikaua Ryan | May 3 | Yes |
| Samuel M. Slom | May 23 | No |
| Malama A. Solomon | February 23 | N/A |
| Brian T. Taniguchi | May 24 | Yes |
| Jill N. Tokuda | May 23 | Yes |
| Shan S. Tsutsui | February 7 | Yes |
| Glenn S. Wakai | March 1 | N/A++ |
( + As of June 2, Sen. Dela Cruz had not filed a 2011 disclosure with the Ethics Commission.)
( ++ Filed first financial disclosure.)
( +++ Filed long form financial disclosure.)
