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Dead but alive: The House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee killed eight of the Foley commission’s bills on Wednesday. But that’s because the House already passed those measures in some other form earlier in the session.

The Foley commission — aka the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct — included directors of the Campaign Spending Commission and the Ethics Commission. Those organizations submitted identical bills that were heard and passed first.

Hearing duplicate bills is arguably not the best use of lawmakers’ time. But that’s how they do it. Committee chair David Tarnas noted that the House was committed to hearing all the Foley commission bills, no matter what.

Still, he felt compelled to explain at one point: “If people watching wonder why there are no questions (from legislators) it’s because we heard these bills before. It’s not because we’re not interested.”

Check Civil Beat’s Sunshine Tracker for more details on which sunshine proposals are surviving the session so far.

They include requiring legislators to disclose relationships with lobbyists, lobbyists to disclose much more detail about what they are lobbying on, prohibiting gifts from lobbyists to legislators, and prohibiting elected officials from buying political fundraising tickets.

The House committee significantly altered a few key bills before passing them out Wednesday. Tarnas cited concerns that they were unconstitutional.

The Foley commission (which included former judges and a few attorneys who apparently didn’t have the same concerns) had wanted people convicted of public corruption to be banned from holding public office for 10 years. The House committee changed that to barring them from getting public financing for their elections for 10 years.

The House lawmakers also carved themselves out from two other bills while imposing the reforms on state and local government agencies. One addresses nepotism in government by prohibiting agencies from hiring relatives. Tarnas said that recently passed House rules take care of that problem in the House although it’s unclear how similar the new House rules are to what the Foley commission and the Ethics Commission proposed.

House Judiciary members also refused to bring the Legislature under the Sunshine Law which sets out requirements for public meetings including elements aimed at making sure the public’s business is done openly. Tarnas pointed out that the legislative process doesn’t lend itself to the Sunshine Law in the same way, partly because of time constraints and the need for lawmakers to meet regularly with constituents. He did note that the Sunshine Law would also preclude things lawmakers are fond of like private caucuses and private discussions on bills.

Another hearing on more Foley commission bills .

Moving right along: There were lots of very interested folks following a Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing Wednesday morning at the Hawaii State Capitol.

would set up a comprehensive system of public financing for candidates seeking election to state and county public offices. And the progressive activist group Our Hawaii rallied supporters to show up for the decision-making session.

As is often the case for major bills, SB 1543 was the last on a lengthy hearing agenda. In the end, WAM Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and his colleagues quietly and unanimously passed the bill, although it has been amended to follow recommendations from the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission.

The amendments call for starting the public financing system in 2026 rather than next year, increasing the maximum amount available to candidates for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from $20,000 up to $40,000, and requiring that successfully elected candidates return unexpended funds to the state.

SB 1543, introduced by Sen. Karl Rhoads, now goes to the full Senate for a vote that could send it over to the House for its own deliberations.

If SB 1543 does make it to the desk of Gov. Josh Green, it would not forbid lawmakers from accepting campaign contributions from wealthy donors. That practice is certain to continue.

Hello?: This just in from a federal agency in response to a reporter’s inquiry: “On background, not for attribution, because the matter is still under review, we are not able to provide any information.”