Good Government Reforms
Reclaiming Democracy: Good Governance
By: Aria Juliet Castillo, Kuleana Academy Co-Founder & Reclaiming Democracy Program Director
After over a decade of working in advocacy, I’ve seen so many people in our community excited to get involved in the legislative process—only to become quickly frustrated when things don’t move forward or when decisions seem to be made in secret. We’ve all witnessed examples of corruption, bills getting ignored, or a few people in power deciding the fate of important legislation.
But here’s the good news: we can change this
At HAPA, alongside Common Cause Hawaiʻi and the Clean Elections Coalition, we’re pushing for simple, practical changes that will make our legislative process fairer, more transparent, and more accessible for everyone. We’re sharing a petition, along with a resolution making it way through neighborhood boards and community groups across the state, hoping to inspire small rule changes in the legislature that will make a big difference.
Why Now?
In 2022, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature formed a special group, the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct (CISC), to tackle issues like corruption, lobbying, ethics, and campaign finance. They came up with smart, straightforward suggestions to improve our government. Unfortunately, a lot of those recommendations were never acted on. But we believe those ideas deserve another shot—and that’s what this resolution is all about.
Here’s What We’re Proposing
1. Make Public Testimony Available Early
- Right now, testimony only becomes available when a hearing starts, giving the public and even committee members little time to fully understand the issues. We want testimony to be available at least 22 hours before a hearing. This will give everyone more time to make informed decisions—simple as that.
2. No More Hiding Behind Deferrals
- We’re calling for committees to vote on all the bills referred to them. Right now, bills can be “deferred,” which is a sneaky way to avoid taking a clear stance. By requiring votes, we make the process more transparent and accountable.
3. Keep Non-Financial Bills Out of Finance Committees
- Non-fiscal bills often get stuck in Finance or Ways & Means committees, even when they have nothing to do with the budget. This causes delays and allows chairs of these committees to bury bills. We want to streamline the process by ensuring only fiscal bills go to finance committees, keeping things moving faster and more efficiently.
4. Guarantee Hearings for Bills with Majority Support
- If a bill has majority backing, it should automatically get a hearing. This prevents important, popular legislation from being blocked by just a few people in leadership.
5. Clear, Written Amendments
- Sometimes bills get changed at the last minute with no notice. We want to make sure all amendments are written out and shared with the public before any vote is taken. This keeps everyone in the loop and avoids confusion.
6. No Anonymous Bill Introductions
- Right now, bills can be introduced “by request,” meaning the entity behind the bill doesn’t have to be named. We think that’s a problem. Every bill should clearly state who’s asking for it to be introduced—let’s get rid of the anonymity.
Supporting Fairer Elections and Campaign Finance Reform
Along with these procedural changes, we’re also supporting some policy changes that will make our elections fairer and more accountable:
Ban Contributions from Government Contractors
- To prevent conflicts of interest, we want to prohibit campaign contributions from officers, owners, and senior staff of government contractors and their immediate family members.
Increase Funding for Public Campaign Financing
- Public financing of elections is a great way to reduce the influence of big money in politics. We need more funding to support this effort.
Ban the Transfer of Contributions Between Candidates
- We’re pushing to stop candidates from transferring campaign donations to each other, which can lead to undue influence and interference in elections.
Let the People Vote on Legislative Term Limits
- Lastly, we think the public should get to decide whether state legislators should have term limits. Let the people have a say!
What’s Next?
This petition and resolution are small steps, but it’s a meaningful one. If neighborhood boards, community groups, and everyday people like you get behind these changes, we can push the legislature to adopt rules that make the system more open, fair, and accountable. The rules that govern how bills are heard and voted on can be adjusted—by the legislature itself—to better reflect the values of transparency and collaboration.
Will your organization sign on? With the reorganization of the legislature — including a new Speaker in 2025 — and the results of the 2024 elections suggesting voters are hungry for change in business as usual, now is the time to put pressure on elected officials to change the way business is done at the capitol, and implement new rules and laws that will increase public transparency, voter participation, and level the playing field for ordinary people over the wealthy, well-connected, and status quo!
Sign on now here:
