HONOLULU — Proposals aimed at decreasing the influence of private money on state elections are making headway in the Hawaii Legislature.
HONOLULU — Proposals aimed at decreasing the influence of private money on state elections are making headway in the Hawaii Legislature.
The House Judiciary Committee approved two bills Tuesday reforming campaign finance reporting requirements. The Campaign Spending Commission supports the bills and says they will increase transparency.
Committee members also voted Tuesday for a bill to adjust a Big Island pilot project for publicly funded campaigns to equalize the amount of money candidates receive. Sen. Russell Ruderman, D-Puna, Ka‘u, says the bill will increase the program’s appeal.
But some say reforming the Big Island program isn’t enough.
Kory Payne of Voter-Owned Hawaii is one of several advocates for a comprehensive public funding program for state legislative races.
Payne said the state hasn’t taken the steps needed to address issues such as food security and energy sustainability because of the power of special interests.
“In Hawaii it’s blatantly obvious that we’ve been putting off some of our most important policy decisions,” Payne said. “Special interests have cornered the market on elections and they’re getting huge returns on their investments.”
The proposal passed the House overwhelmingly last week, despite concerns from county clerks’ offices that the program could strain their resources. The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to set a date to review the bill.
Supporters say the initiative is in response to growing fear of how special interests may influence Hawaii politics.
He estimated the program could cost taxpayers about $2.5 million a year.
Rep. Marcus Oshiro from Wahiawa said the program’s cost is one of the reasons he voted against the measure last week.
But his greatest concern is the concept of using taxpayer money to fund candidates whose views people may find objectionable, such as a member of an extremist organization or someone who doesn’t recognize Native Hawaiian rights.
“It can seem repugnant to the whole idea of free speech and freedom of association,” Oshiro said.
Rather than create a public funding program, Oshiro said the Legislature should increase financial disclosure requirements for corporations and unions that advocate for candidates. He says improving transparency is the best path for lawmakers in the wake of the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United decision, which opened the floodgates for corporate funding of campaigns.
“Unless or until we can overcome that current law of the land, we’re going to be hard pressed to revitalize our elections and level the playing field for our candidates,” Oshiro said.
Hawaii already has a partial public funding program, but Oshiro said it is funded by voluntary contributions.
Payne said the existing program is ineffective and out-of-date.
According to the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission website, just two legislative candidates participated in the program during the 2012 general election.
Only one, Rep. Rida Carbanilla from Ewa Beach, was successful.
Meanwhile, the amount of money in Hawaii politics has continued to grow.
Between 1994 and 2012, total state Senate candidate spending more than doubled.
Also in that time period, the median amount spent by House candidates increased by more than 60 percent.