State gets F for
lobbyist controlsThe Center for Public Integrity
gives Hawaii a low grade for
the way it regulates lobbyists
CORRECTION
Thursday, May 22, 2003» State law permits lobbyists to urge the support or defeat of specific legislation. A Page A4 story last Thursday incorrectly quoted G.A. "Red" Morris as saying state law does not allow lobbyists to charge for lobbying specific legislation.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.A new national study gives Hawaii an F for the way it regulates lobbyists.
The report by the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity ranked Hawaii 34th out of the states, noting that Hawaii has about three lobbyists for each legislator.
Figures collected by the center show that Hawaii's lobbyists spent $3.5 million last year to influence legislation. In comparison, lobbyists in California, which ranked seventh, reported spending $197 million.
The report is the result of a three-month study by the nonprofit, nonpartisan center which surveyed the ethics commission or lobbyist registration agencies in 50 states.
States were surveyed to see the availability of information about lobbyists, who employs them and how much they get to support or defeat legislation.
Washington, Kentucky, South Carolina, Connecticut and New York were rated the best at the lobbyist regulation process.
The study also checked whether lobbyists reported gifts or campaign contributions to lawmakers.
Out of a maximum score of 100, Hawaii got 54 points, according to the survey. States that got a score of 60 or lower received an F.
The state scored low for its lobbyist law enforcement. The study noted that Hawaii does not require mandatory reviews or audits of lobbyist financial reports and that it has been five years or more since a penalty for late filing was levied against a lobbyist.
The study drew national attention to the largely unrecognized influence lobbyists have in helping shape laws on a local level.
"Citizens have a right to know how much lobbyists are spending to influence governmental decisions, and who the lobbyists are and what interests they represent," said Bob Stern, of the Center for Governmental Studies in California. "If [states] don't have good disclosure for lobbying, the citizens are really missing out on very important information when looking at their state government."
G.A. "Red" Morris, who has lobbied the Hawaii legislature for 40 years and represents clients ranging from Wal-Mart Stores to AT&T Wireless, said he did not think information about lobbyists in Hawaii "was a massive secret.
"I think there are people who think there is wholesale buying of the Legislature, but I don't think that is true. Maybe in the dim past there was more 'social interaction,'" Morris said.
He noted that state law does not allow lobbyists to charge for lobbying a specific piece of legislation or be paid for having a bill passed or defeated.
"We negotiate with a client a flat fee, and regardless of the amount of time it takes or the success or failure of the bill, we are paid a certain amount," Morris said.
But others say the new study should prompt changes in Hawaii's lobbyist laws.
Sen. Les Ihara (D, Kaimuki-Palolo) said he has not found enough detail in the lobbyist reports filed with the state Ethics Commission.
"I have gotten lobbyist reports and they are pretty skimpy. We need to look at the lobbyist reports to increase the level of reporting," Ihara said.
But Dan Mollway, Ethics Commission executive director, defended the state's lobbyist laws.
He objected to the study's methodology, noting that some of Hawaii's stringent requirements, such as requiring lobbyists to report if they pay for a "grass-roots" lobbying effort, were not measured by the survey.
"I find it troubling in terms of it being very meaningful," Mollway said. "It seems the person who wrote the questionnaire doesn't understand how the laws should be structured.
"Lobbyists have to register. We know who the lobbyists are, and we know who they are representing and we know how much they are paying the lobbyists," Mollway said.
