After five years of fighting for legislation, the Hawaii Ethics Commission will finally be able to place fines on ethics violations. A new state law, passed just before election season, allows the Ethics Commission to impose a $500 fine for each violation.
Under the old system, the Commission could only declare guilt or innocence, and any punitive measures would target the state body that employed the individual, not the individual him or herself. Moreover, the Commission could not act once an implicated individual left a state position, a loophole that the new law will close.
"It's kind of like holding a trial or something like that, but there's no penalty if you find the person violated a law. Just everybody goes home. It doesn't make much sense," [executive director of the Commission Dan] Mollway said.
A fine of $500 may not be hefty in itself, but numerous counts accompany most ethics violations. For example, engaging in private business while in office often requires state resources and time, and thus carries with it the potential for multiple ethics violations.
Even in ordinary times, the commission receives a steady stream of complaints. But as campaigns kick into gear, the flow increases, totaling up to 300 per season - mostly about campaigners using state resources, Mollway said.
According to Mollway, the new law is a "milestone" for ethics reform in Hawaii and indicates an increased acceptance of tighter ethics standards. Let's hope that other states attain a similar respect for appropriate ethics reform legislation.
