Hawaii Legislative Reform – Time Is Now

by Gary Hooser

The Hawai’i House of Representatives is at a tipping point. The message sent by Kim Coco Iwamoto’s win over House Speaker Scott is unavoidable.  

The voting public is aware, disgusted, and no longer willing to look the other way.  

The toxic culture that puts helping friends and punishing enemies ahead of implementing good public policy – must go. 

The practice of individual legislators having the unilateral power to kill legislation – without a public hearing and a public vote – must stop. 

House and Senate rules must be changed to require the passage or failure of legislative proposals be based on a public discussion, held during a public hearing, followed by a public vote.

What a concept.  

Imagine if new laws could only be passed or killed after they have been reviewed and discussed in a public hearing process, and a public vote taken by the legislative committee members. 

Imagine further for a moment the public is allowed to testify in person at these hearings, that the public testimony is made available to the public when it’s submitted, and that proposed amendments to the legislation are disclosed publicly in writing before the vote.  

Sounds like a basic democratic process that should be standard operating procedure.  

But it’s not. Not in Hawai’i anyway. 

Today, House and Senate rules allow certain individual legislators to kill legislative proposals without a public hearing, and without a public vote. Bills are often amended without making the amendment public before the vote and amended further in back-rooms after the vote is taken. 

Some committees prohibit in-person public testimony, and contrary to the State Constitution (Article III Section 12) meet in private to make a decision. 

In addition to reforming House and Senate rules, campaign spending reform must also be at the top of the agenda. 

Allowing incumbent legislators to bankroll the campaign accounts of their friends under the duplicitous guise of “buying two tickets to a fundraiser” – must cease. 

Hawai’i must follow the model of other states, cap the war chests, and prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for any purpose other than paying for their own legitimate and direct campaign expenses.

These reforms are not radical leftist pie-in-the-sky overly complicated dreams. 

Requiring candidates to spend money they raise during a campaign period only for campaign expenses directly related to the campaign during that campaign period – is not some punitive draconian rocket-science proposal. 

In addition, Clean Election laws provide a base level of public funds to credible candidates who agree to strict spending limits. 

Arizona, Connecticut, and Maine have already paved the way and offer qualified candidates basic public funding sufficient to run a successful campaign. 

Clean Election programs allow candidates to run for election without the need to seek big money donors and remove a huge barrier to entry for new candidates. 

The term-limit question should also be put before the voters. 12 years serving in the House or Senate is more than enough time to make a difference, and then to move on. 

Yes. The message sent by the House-rocking vote on August 11, is unequivocal. 

The time for meaningful reform is now. 

It’s up to the House Majority to choose new leadership, and it’s up to us as voters to hold our district legislators accountable for the choices they make – and the Speaker they choose. 

Will they support a reform agenda and back a House Speaker who shares that position?

Or will they support business as usual and a Speaker who seeks to preserve the system now in place?

I’m personally hopeful a new House Speaker backed by a new House majority, will step forward to lead in an open, collaborative, and ethical manner – and embrace the critical reforms needed. 

We’ll know soon enough. 

GARY HOOSER is a former Hawaiʻi State Senator and Majority Leader.

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