STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2837

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3350

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 3350 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SERVICE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require judges, justices, and nominees for judicial vacancies to file certain disclosures with the State Ethics Commission; and

(2) Require the Commission on Salaries to consider the deterrence of bribery and corruption when making its salary recommendations.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Judiciary.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the State is responsible for upholding an ethical position on the deterrence of conflicts of interest, bribery, and corruption in all branches of government. When government is idle about combatting corruption, this can erode public trust and confidence for state leaders and exacerbate social tensions, which could contribute to violence. This measure will improve public confidence in the ethical standing of nominees for justices and judges.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language requiring:

(A) An appointee for a judge or justice to file a disclosure of financial interests within five business days of the appointee's appointment;

(B) That the disclosure be made available to the Senate in addition to the State Ethics Commission; and

(C) That the disclosure be made public by the State Ethics Commission;

(2) Deleting language that would have required judges and justices to file a disclosure of financial interests annually with the State Ethics Commission;

(3) Requiring appointees for justices and judges, instead of nominees for justices and judges, to file with the State Ethics Commission an initial disclosure of financial interests;

(4) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3350, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3350, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair