SB 809 Hawaii Senate · 2025 Regular Session

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Summary

Prohibits state or county grantees, officers and immediate family members of state or county contractors, and officers and immediate family members of state or county grantees, from contributing to candidate committees and noncandidate committees for the duration of the contract. Prohibits state or county grantees from knowingly soliciting any contributions. Requires candidates, candidate committees, and noncandidate committees to return any unlawful contribution to the contributor within thirty calendar days of receipt. Provides that an unlawful contribution shall escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund if it is not returned to the contributor within thirty calendar days. Requires disclosures of the names of any owners, officers and immediate family members of a state or county contractor or grantee for contracts exceeding a certain amount. (SD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Feb 10, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB809 → SB809_SD1 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill expands campaign contribution prohibitions to include state and county grantees (previously only contractors were covered) and extends restrictions to the owners, officers, and immediate family members of both contractors and grantees. The changes aim to prevent public funds from influencing political campaigns by closing loopholes where individuals connected to grant recipients could still donate.

Scope change

Expanded from only state and county contractors to include state and county grantees receiving public funds, and now covers owners, officers, and immediate family members of both contractor and grantee entities.

SCOPE

Added prohibitions on state and county grantees receiving public funds through grants or subsidies, extending the campaign contribution restrictions that previously only applied to contractors.

ELIGIBILITY

Extended contribution prohibitions to include owners, officers, and immediate family members of both state/county contractors and state/county grantees.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'Owner' (person with at least 5% interest) and 'Completion of the contract' (including dispute resolution requirements).

REQUIREMENT

Added disclosure requirements requiring contractors and grantees to provide lists of owners, officers, and immediate family members to the state or county office executing the contract.

Added threshold exemptions for disclosure requirements, not required for procurements under $100,000 for goods/services or $250,000 for construction.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provision that unlawful contributions must be returned within 30 calendar days, with unreturned funds escheating to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

TECHNICAL

Added new subsections to HRS 11-355 and HRS 11-364 to codify the expanded prohibitions and enforcement mechanisms.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Reported from JDC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 155) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Jan 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in JDC were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Gabbard, Chang, San Buenaventura; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Awa.

upper

Jan 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 01-31-25 9:15AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to JDC, WAM.

upper

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Introduced.

upper

3 primary · 2 co-sponsors