Bill would restrict Labor unions and corporations would be forbidden from giving to political campaigns according to a bill that is gaining new support at the Legislature.
political donations
The measure would prohibit
corporate and union contributions
to candidates' coffersBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comThe bill's authors say that's because of the concern over the recent criminal convictions of local politicians and the investigation into Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign fund raising.
The bill, which was also sponsored by Robert Watada, Campaign Spending Commission executive director, would also forbid someone who has a contract with the state or counties from making campaign contributions to any political party.
"You have multimillion-dollar corporations and it isn't fair they can make such big contributions. They can't vote. Also, more and more of these contributions are coming from the mainland," Watada said.
Of interest to state lawmakers, however, is the fact that this is a campaign year.
"I think it has a good chance and the reason it does is because of what is going on in the campaign spending investigation," said Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D, Waianae), Senate vice president.
"When you look at the allegations that are coming out and the various entities that are pleading guilty in the Harris campaign, (it) all relates back to the corporation," said Hanabusa, the bill's primary Senate sponsor.
She noted that while the Harris campaign is still under investigation for misreporting campaign contributions, one firm, Geolabs, which gave to the Harris campaign and other politicians, has already been fined $64,000.
Harris denies any wrongdoing and says the campaign spending investigation is a personal vendetta by Watada.
Hanabusa, however, says the legislators have already heard from a public that isn't willing to tolerate campaign ethics questions.
"I believe the public is outraged as it listens to the evidence on the Harris campaign and, as a result, legislators are very sensitive to the fact that people are looking at what we are doing," she said.
The bill is given a better chance of passage this year because the two senators who have blocked campaign reform in past years, Donna Kim and Cal Kawamoto, are in favor of the bill.
"I think the campaign spending commission has a point here," Kawamoto (D, Waipahu, Pearl City) said.
The key for Kawamoto's support is that while specific businesses and labor unions will not be able to donate, political action committees will be allowed, as they are under federal law,
"I have no problem with it, as long as we can allow the PACs to give," Kawamoto said.
Kim said she is hearing reports of businesses being told they "will be blackballed" from doing business with government if they don't contribute to certain candidates.
"So they feel they need to give, to get a contract or to be considered for one," Kim (D, Ft. Shafter, Aiea) said.
Union leader Harold Dias, Hawaii state AFL-CIO president, said as long as business and labor are both limited in how they can contribute, he wouldn't object.
Randy Perreira, deputy executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, said the bill would not be opposed "as long as there was some kind of public financing so everyone would have equal access."
In the house, Rep. Brian Schatz, who introduced a similar reform bill, said the Democratic majority is already lined up to support changes to the spending laws.
"There is just a growing sense that we need to make the system work better," Schatz (D, Makiki) said.
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