Eh, you heard da latest kine news from da 2023 legislative session? Da Hawaii lawmakers been working overtime fo’ bring in some new rules to make tings more pono (righteous) ?️?. You rememba da scandal wea’ two of our own reps wen’ end up behind bars fo’ taking bribes? Yeah, so now, da big kahunas at da capitol trying fo’ clean house ??.
One of da kine rules dem guys wen’ pass is da HB717. Dis one, braddah, say no can hire your ohana (family) if you working fo’ da state ?????. Funny kine ting, yeah? Dis rule wen’ come around afta’ former Rep. Ty Cullen wen’ get busted fo’ taking bribes and he wen’ hire plenny of his ohana in his office ?️?.
But, da funny ting wen’ happen wen’ da bill wen’ reach da Senate floor. Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, he wen’ say he support da bill but he no like how da lawmakers wen’ make themselves da exception ??️. Yeah, you heard right. Da lawmakers wen’ make one rule ’bout nepotism and den dey wen’ say it no apply to dem ?♂️.
Afta’ Keohokalole wen’ talk, da odda’ 24 senators wen’ go ahead and give their “aye” votes but wit’ some reservations ?️. Da big boss of da Senate, Ron Kouchi, wen’ say dat da Senate Rules already say “no can” to nepotism, so dis new rule no going change anyting fo’ dem ??.
Da one who wen’ add da exception fo’ da lawmakers was da House Judiciary Committee. Da boss guy ova’ dea’, David Tarnas, wen’ say he no think da Executive Branch should be da one fo’ enforce da anti-nepotism rule on da lawmakers. He wen’ also give da Judiciary Branch one pass too ?️✅.
Dis new rule going say dat any state employee no can make decisions ’bout hiring their ohana or ’bout contracts involving one company owned by their ohana ??.
Anotah big change dat wen’ try fo’ happen dis year was one bill dat would have provided public money fo’ local elections. But da guys in charge of da money wen’ say “no can” to dat one. It would have been one big kine cost, like maybe $15-30 million each election ?️?.
And, check dis out, one bill dat would make it easier fo’ condo owners fo’ sue da developers over construction mess ups wen’ get one second chance. Dis bill going take away da time limit on lawsuits over mess up construction. Da building guys no like dat one and even da Governor wen’ say “no can”. But da Senate wen’ say “can” and wen’ vote to override da veto. Now, da House guys going try fo’ do da same ting on Thursday ??.
So, dat’s da scoop, braddahs and sistahs. Lawmakers making all kine new rules, but seems like some rules no apply to them. Kinda funny, yeah? ? They trying fo’ clean house, but still get choke (a lot of) work fo’ do.
Dea’ wen’ had all kine odda bills too, but neva’ make um through. Some guys wen’ try fo’ make one law wea’ you gotta show how you voting, but dat one neva’ make um ?️?♂️. Anodah one was ’bout making sure da guys running fo’ office no can lie ’bout their record, but dat one also wen’ get axed ??.
Still, not everything so pilikia (troubled). Get some good coming out of dis. Like, now, da state workers gotta be more careful ’bout who dey hiring. No can just bring in your cousin ’cause he need one job. Gotta make sure da guy right fo’ da job, yeah? ???
And, da condo owners? Dey can sleep little more easy now. If dea’ get mess up in da building, dey can sue da pants off da developers, no matter how long ago was da construction ?⏰?.
So, even though da lawmakers wen’ pull one fast one and make themselves da exception to da anti-nepotism rule, get some good coming out of dis. Just gotta hope dat dey going continue fo’ make more good changes, and maybe one day, dey going make rules dat apply to everyone, including themselves ??️.
For now, we just gotta watch and wait, see what kine decisions dey going make next. But no worry, we going be here fo’ keep you updated on all da latest news from da capitol. So, stay tuned, braddahs and sistahs, and aloha! ??
NOW IN ENGLISH
?️?♂️ Lawmakers Adopt Anti-Nepotism Law ?, But It Doesn’t Apply to Them!
In the latest news from the 2023 legislative session, Hawaii lawmakers have been working diligently to implement new laws aimed at bolstering ethics and transparency. These efforts were primarily spurred by a bribery scandal that led to the incarceration of two lawmakers ??.
One particular law that has been passed is HB717. This law prohibits state employees from hiring their family members – a practice often referred to as nepotism ?????. Interestingly, this law was inspired by former Representative Ty Cullen, who was found guilty of accepting bribes and had hired several relatives in his office.
However, an odd twist came about when the bill reached the Senate floor. Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, while expressing his support for the law, voiced his concerns about the lawmakers having exempted themselves from it ??️. That’s correct, the anti-nepotism law does not apply to the very lawmakers who passed it ?♂️.
Following Keohokalole’s speech, the remaining 24 senators expressed their “aye” votes for the measure but noted they had reservations ?️. Senate President Ron Kouchi pointed out that the Senate Rules already prohibit nepotism, so this new law does not alter their stance ??.
The exemption for lawmakers was introduced by the House Judiciary Committee. Chairperson David Tarnas justified this, stating that he didn’t believe the Executive Branch should be enforcing the anti-nepotism law on lawmakers, who form an independent branch of government. He also exempted the state Judiciary Branch from this law ?️✅.
The law stipulates that no state employee can make employment decisions about a family member or contracting decisions involving a company owned or controlled by family ??.
Another substantial reform attempted this year was a bill that would have provided public funding for local elections. However, the finance committees did not approve the necessary funding for this reform, which could have incurred costs of $15-30 million per election ?️?.
Finally, a bill that would make it easier for condominium owners to sue developers over construction defects was revived by a Senate override vote. This bill would remove the statute of limitations on lawsuits over defective construction. Although the building industry and the Governor opposed this bill, the Senate unanimously voted to override the veto, which was Governor Josh Green’s first. The House is set to vote in a similar manner on Thursday ??.
So, that’s the current state of affairs. Lawmakers are making numerous new rules, but here’s the catch, it doesn’t apply to them. Sounds ironic, doesn’t it? ? They’re striving to clean up their act, but there’s still a significant amount of work to be done.
There were also other proposed bills that didn’t make it through. One of them aimed to make voting records more transparent, but it didn’t pass ?️?♂️. Another bill aimed to ensure that political candidates couldn’t falsify their records, but that one also got scrapped ??.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Some positive outcomes have emerged from this. For instance, state workers now have to be more meticulous about their hiring practices. They can’t just employ their cousin because they need a job. They have to ensure that the individual is the right fit for the role ???.
And the condo owners? They can now breathe a little easier. If there’s a defect in their building, they can sue the developers regardless of how long ago the construction took place ?⏰?.
So, even though the lawmakers have cunningly made themselves an exception to the anti-nepotism rule, there are some positives to be found. We just have to hope that they continue to make good changes, and perhaps one day, they’ll create laws that apply to everyone, including themselves ??️.
For now, we just have to observe and wait to see what decisions they’ll make next. But don’t worry, we’ll be here to keep you updated on all the latest news from the capitol. So, stay tuned, folks, and cheers! ??
