STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1084-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2425

      S.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2425, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ETHICS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt from the gift and reporting requirements of the State Ethics Code any benefits or things of value, including travel, received by state employees in the course of performing extracurricular duties that are related to but not actually part of the employee's state job and that are undertaken for the benefit or on behalf of the employee's colleagues, students, or team members.  This measure specifies the conditions under which a state employee may accept such gifts or items and remain in compliance with the State Ethics Code and requires state agencies to conform their existing policies and procedures to these requirements.

The Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hui for Excellence in Education, IMUAlliance, and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The State Ethics Commission and Common Cause Hawaii opposed the measure.

     Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary, should it choose to consider this measure, to review and examine the definition of "educational travel" offered by the Hawaii State Teachers Association in its testimony.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2425, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair