THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

56

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING LEGISLATIVE STAFF PERSONNEL WHO HOLD OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT or whose immediate family members have business before the legislature, TO FILE A DISCLOSURE FORM WITH THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU.

 

WHEREAS, legislators should make every reasonable effort to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest; and

WHEREAS, legislators should make every reasonable attempt to disclose any potential conflict of interest; and

WHEREAS, an appearance of conflict exists when a reasonable person will conclude from the circumstances that a legislator's ability to protect the public interest, or perform public duties, are compromised by personal interest; and

WHEREAS, a smooth running legislature requires a large number of behind-the-scenes legislative staff, including office managers, committee clerks, legislative aides, receptionists, and secretaries; and

WHEREAS, some legislative staff, including clerks and aides, are responsible among other things for research, drafting of bills and committee reports, budget analyses, scheduling, record keeping, bill tracking, and planning for future hearings, and often serve as gatekeepers to their legislators; and

WHEREAS, some corporations pay employees to serve in legislators' offices which have legislative jurisdiction over the corporation or its activities; and

WHEREAS, legislators do not report these corporate arrangements with either the State Ethics Commission or the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission; and

WHEREAS, making these corporate arrangements public would serve to enhance the public perception of honesty and integrity of legislators, regardless of whether or not there is in fact such corporate arrangements with any legislator; and

WHEREAS, the Legislative Reference Bureau is a non-partisan legislative service agency and an appropriate agency to collect and store this information; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that by February 10 of each year, each legislative staff member, who has additional employment outside the legislature or whose immediate family members have business before the legislature, shall file a disclosure form with the Legislative Reference Bureau; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to prepare and provide a disclosure form, which at a minimum, includes the legislative staff person's current outside employer and the employer for each member of the staff person's immediate family who has business before the legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to make the disclosure forms available for public inspection during regular business hours in the office of the Legislative Reference Bureau; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Acting Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Legislative Staff; Disclosure of Conflict of Interest