Indictment sparks calls for special session on contractor donation ban
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Indictments against Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, current and former state employees, and a contractor in an alleged bribery conspiracy are prompting calls for a special legislative session focused on campaign finance reform.
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Some lawmakers are pushing for a return to the Capitol to take up Senate Bill 2530, a measure that would ban government contractors and their immediate family members from donating to political candidates.
Legislation died in Senate last session
SB 2530 had House support last session, but died in the Senate over disagreements about how broad the restrictions should apply to a contractor’s relatives.
Rep. Kanani Souza, R-Kapolei, Makakilo, said the bill is directly relevant to the indictments.
“This bill calls for the banning of government contractor donations and donations from their immediate family members to political candidates,” Souza said.
Alexander Silvert, a retired federal public defender and watchdog, said the intent of those contributions is widely understood.
“We all know it’s meant to influence,” Silvert said. “You can raise money, but what this does is eliminate state contractors, people who can directly benefit from that influence of giving money, from directly giving money to legislators.”
Lawmakers say differences are bridgeable
Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-Makiki, Punchbowl, said the two chambers are not far apart on the legislation.
“It would take some negotiations,” Au Belatti said. “We can go in and have a very tight, very focused five-, six-day special session and we can close the contractor loophole.”
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Souza echoed that position.
“Government contracts can be very lucrative, and so by stopping this government contractor loophole and closing that gap, we are able to make sure that legislators are not being influenced in ways that they should not be and that this becomes a fair process overall,” Souza said.
Experts note unresolved differences could complicate session
Special sessions are rare and typically called to fix immediate issues.
“To address something that simply can’t wait because of some deadline or because of some pending crisis,” said HNN political analyst Colin Moore.
The state has previously held special sessions over a same-sex marriage bill in 2013 and in 2017 over rail funding.
Moore said lingering disagreements between the House and Senate over contractor donations could pose a problem.
“You wouldn’t want to call a special session only to have that debate again if these haven’t been ironed out,” he said.
Rep. Souza is also continuing her efforts to form an investigative committee to examine the bribery scandal and identify any additional campaign reform that may need to be addressed in future legislation.
Under state law, the governor must call a special session, but lawmakers can force one with a two-thirds majority of the membership requesting it.
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