Civil Beat Categories

Legislature 2023

County Ethics Watchdogs Need More Money To Do The Job Right, State Panel Says Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

County Ethics Watchdogs Need More Money To Do The Job Right, State Panel Says

The Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct says the grants will beef up bare-bones budgets that now exist in all counties except Honolulu, which spends more on its ethics board.

Hawaii May Soon Have More Tools To Prosecute Public Corruption Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii May Soon Have More Tools To Prosecute Public Corruption

But some policy advocates opposed the new measures because of mandatory minimum prison sentences.

A More Civil Legislature? Hawaii Lawmakers May Soon Be Asked To Bolster Citizen Rights Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

A More Civil Legislature? Hawaii Lawmakers May Soon Be Asked To Bolster Citizen Rights

The Legislature’s special commission aimed at fighting corruption is continuing to fine tune proposals for the upcoming session.

State Grants Promised To Hawaii Nonprofits Likely To Be In Limbo For Weeks Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

State Grants Promised To Hawaii Nonprofits Likely To Be In Limbo For Weeks

Many nonprofits are scrambling to provide services while they wait for the state to fix a problem in the law allocating millions of dollars.

State, Feds At Odds Over Extension Of Hawaiian Homeland Leases Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2017

State, Feds At Odds Over Extension Of Hawaiian Homeland Leases

The Legislature may need to resolve an ongoing dispute between the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the federal Department of the Interior over commercial leases.

Hawaii Standards Commission Moves To Tighten Ethics Rules For Lawmakers And Lobbyists Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii Standards Commission Moves To Tighten Ethics Rules For Lawmakers And Lobbyists

New proposals regarding government ethics and conflicts of interest will be taken up by the Legislature in the wake of corruption scandals involving former lawmakers.

Ban On In-Session Campaign Donations Gets Thumbs Up From Hawaii Standards Commission Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat/2018

Ban On In-Session Campaign Donations Gets Thumbs Up From Hawaii Standards Commission

Currently, state lawmakers are banned from holding fundraising events while the Legislature is in session but can still accept donations to their campaigns.

Reluctant Standards Commission Proposes Term Limits For Hawaii Lawmakers Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

Reluctant Standards Commission Proposes Term Limits For Hawaii Lawmakers

The panel also forwarded a bill on legislative meetings but will take more time to examine proposals on public records, meetings and a state voters guide.

Hawaii Commission To Vet New Bills To Boost Public Access To Government Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii Commission To Vet New Bills To Boost Public Access To Government

Two measures that were vetoed by Gov. David Ige are among the proposals the panel plans to take up this week in its effort to restore public trust.

Hawaii Commission Fines Kai Kahele’s Campaign For Illegal Solicitations Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii Commission Fines Kai Kahele’s Campaign For Illegal Solicitations

The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission is also proposing a sweeping package of campaign finance reforms for the upcoming legislative session in 2023.