Your Voice Needed: Key Democracy Bills Stuck in Financial Committees

We wanted to give you a quick update on several important democracy bills making their way through the Legislature — and how you can help get them moving.

Right now, all of the following bills are waiting on a hearing in their respective financial committees (either House FIN or Senate WAM). Many of them shouldn’t have even been referred there — which raises real concerns about transparency and accountability in the legislative process.

Here’s where things stand:

SB345 – the Campaign Spending Commission Partial Public Financing bill

📍 In the House, waiting on FIN

HB370 – Senator Rhoads version of Partial Public Financing bill

📍 In the Senate, waiting on WAM

ICYMI - SB345 is now the original HB370, and HB370 includes the original language from SB345 thanks to Rep. Tarnas making maneuvers that closely resemble a gut-and replace, and Sen. Rhoads responding accordingly.

HB371 – closes the contractor loophole in campaign contributions

📍 Originally referred to only JHA In the House, passed JDC, waiting on WAM

SB1032 – limits foreign influence on Hawaiʻi elections

📍 Originally referred to TCA and JDC, now passed JHA, waiting on FIN

SB311 – a proposed constitutional amendment to clarify that spending money isn’t protected "speech" in elections

📍 Originally referred to JDC and WAM, then just JDC – it passed JHA, now waiting on FIN

All of these bills need to be heard soon or they risk dying in committee — not because of public opposition, but because of legislative bottlenecks.

If you want to dig into the procedural weeds, we highly recommend reading Gary Hooser’s recent blog post on what happened with HB776, a bill that was effectively killed by misuse of committee referrals.

What you can do:

Contact House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita and Senate Ways & Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and ask them to hear these bills. Your voice matters — and it helps cut through the backroom politics that often stall good legislation.

Contact Finance Committee Chairs

House Finance Committee

Chair of House Committee on Finance: Representative Kyle Yamashita

Email: repyamashita@capitol.hawaii.gov

Phone: 808-586-6200

Sample Email/ Call

Aloha Chair Yamashita,

My name is _____, from ________. Mahalo for passing HB 370 out of the Finance Committee. I am also reaching out to request that you schedule and support the senate version, SB345 along with SB311 and SB1032. This is our last chance to take a meaningful step in campaign finance reform Please consider scheduling this bill. Mahalo!

Senate Ways and Means Committee

Chair of Senate Ways and Means; Senator Donovan Dela Cruz

Email: sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov

Phone: 808-586-6090

Sample Email/ Call

Aloha Chair Dela Cruz,

My name is _____, from ________ and I am reaching out to request that you schedule and support HB 370 and HB371. These bills are critical in improving our partial public funding program and closing the contractor campaign donation loophole. Please consider scheduling these bills. Mahalo!"