The Hawaii State Ethics Commission: A Guide

From the Hawaii State Ethics Commission website:

Date Established: The Hawaii State Ethics Commission was established in January, 1968.

Appointment of members: The Commission has five members. Members must be selected in a manner which assures their independence and impartiality in accordance with Article XIV of the Hawaii State Constitution. The Judicial Council (a state board attached to the Hawaii Supreme Court) nominates two individuals for each vacancy on the Commission. The nominees’ names are sent to the Governor, who selects one of the nominees for appointment to the Commission. Senate confirmation is not required.

Term of office: A commissioner’s term of office is four years. No person may be appointed consecutively to more than two terms as a member of the Commission.

Qualifications/Restrictions: A commissioner must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Hawaii. Members may not hold any other public office. Members may not take an active part in political management or in political campaigns during their terms of office.

Responsibilities: The Commission administers and enforces the following State of Hawaii governmental ethics and lobbying laws:

State Ethics Code, Chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Standards of conduct applicable to all state government officials and employees, excluding justices and judges)
Financial Disclosure Law, Section 84-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Financial interests disclosure requirements applicable to elected and appointed state officials and employees and to candidates for state elective office)
Gifts Disclosure Law, Section 84-11.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Gifts reporting requirement applicable to state government officials and employees)
Mandatory Ethics Training Law, Section 84-42, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Ethics training requirement applicable to state government leaders and executive department heads)
State Lobbyists Law, Chapter 97, Hawaii Revised Statutes (Lobbyist registration requirements and reporting requirements for lobbying expenditures and contributions)

The Commission’s duties include issuing advisory opinions, investigating and considering charges of alleged violations of the ethics and lobbying laws, and educating state government officials and employees and the citizenry on matters relating to ethics in government.

Current Commissioners:

Cassandra J. Leolani Abdul, Chairperson (term to expire June 30, 2014)
Edward Broglio (term to expire June 30, 2015)
Susan DeGuzman (term to expire June 30, 2016)
David O’Neal (term to expire June 30, 2014)
Ruth D. Tschumy (term to expire June 30, 2017)