STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2847

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2248

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2248, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make certain amendments relating to financial disclosure statements.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Includes gubernatorial nominees subject to Senate confirmation, other than state judicial nominees, among the persons who are required to file financial disclosure statements;

(2) Requires those nominees to file a disclosure statement no later than five days after their nomination or five days before their first confirmation hearing, whichever occurs first; and

(3) Makes technical amendments relating to disclosure requirements for legislators.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, HULI PAC, and numerous individuals.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Office of the Governor, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Department of Taxation.

Your Committee finds that under current state ethics laws, many gubernatorial nominees subject to Senate confirmation are not required to file financial disclosure statements until after they are confirmed. Your Committee believes that requiring all nominees to provide disclosure statements pursuant to this measure will enable the Senate and the public to consider nominees' potential conflicts of interest and will facilitate more meaningful consideration of those nominees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by removing the measure's exemptions for judicial nominees.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2248, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2248, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair