Ethics

... The Moniz appointment is due in large part from a new law. Under a recent law, Act 260 Session Laws of Hawaii, the Governor must appoint the person nominated by the public employee unions. ....

... Hawaii Community College paid at least $100,000 in ransomware attack ....

... OIP also found, sua sponte, that the PCSC executive session minutes did not convey a true reflection of the matters discussed at the meeting ....

... 140 months for conspiracy, wire fraud, and embezzlement from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1260 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $209,391.72 ....

... It applies to almost all state employees (except those working for the legislative or judicial branches) ....

"...Thank you for giving a heads up to legislators about accepting a book from Hawai’i’s social workers because it might be an Ethics Violation...."

... Emails and other records provided by UH Richardson Law School show justices in the program--currently co-sponsored by Case Lombardi--often met with local dignitaries and frequently dined at private clubs or the private residences of prominent UH Law School donors .... 

... two 2023 laws, Act 019 and Act 125, added new Sunshine Law requirements effective July 1 and October 1, 2023 ....

... Act 242, signed by Gov. Josh Green this week, established the council, which renamed the Highway Safety Council to the Hawaii Highway Safety and Modernization Council ....

... Since the program’s inception in 2021, service providers from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Hawaiʻi Community Lending have been serving homeowners with the greatest needs ....

... how many years has this been going on? ....

... in 2022, with Reynolds Recyling employee Jill Tokuda heading for Congress, the Legislature passed Act 12 which requires DOH to develop a risk-based process to address criminal fraud that the State Auditor has reported for 20 years ....

... Sometimes it takes a bad situation to make another bad situation better.  This might be one of those times ....

... The punishment for a Class C felony is a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years in prison ....

... Such lawsuits abound, with as many as 300 cases underway. Honolulu’s, though, has a twist ....

... a computer glitch prevented Sub District 11 voters from being able to electronically submit their votes ....

... 'Hawai‘i Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries Announces He Will Decline Extension of Employment Contract' LOL! ....

... If the Judiciary does not act, the Legislature will ....

... how long would an ethical person stay at KSBE? ....

... Voting on legislation affecting a for-profit or non-profit organization in which you are a director, even if unpaid, is a violation of HRS § 84-14 and Senate Rules 83 and 85 ....

... progress was made in the fight to improve transparency and accountability ....

... Apparently Fevella filed a personnel complaint against the head of the Hawaii Film Office, Donne Dawson, to emphasize this point ....

... Legal reforms can go a long way. But when it comes to putting a stop to longstanding corruption in Hawaii, the biggest impact of all will ....

... An open letter to the Honolulu City Council.  RE: The pay raise you are about to get ....

... Judicial Selection Commission to determine whether Judge Hall should be retained in office for an additional term of six years ....

... Newly disclosed document confirms billionaire Pierre Omidyar financed the public-private partnership to censor election-related Twitter and Facebook posts ....

... seeking the names of all students and faculty serving on the UH William S. Richardson School of Law Admissions Committee ....

... ask for up to three months of additional support ....

“...ready, fire, aim....”

... Hawaii’s taxpayers have paid about $1.5 billion in just the past two years for housing, but “Where’s all the affordable housing?” ....

... After a lengthy investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into corruption at the DPP, honest services wire fraud charges were filed against six individuals, including Inouye, arising out of schemes in which employees of the DPP took bribes in exchange for performing official acts at DPP ....

... $27M of Green's illegal $200M slush fund has spilled into CNHA's lap ....

... The HHRF shut down in 2002.  It's fund still has $186.7M today ....

... on May 9, Recktenwald disclosed that he engages in “educational presentations relating to environmental, energy, and natural resource issues” and has worked with the Environmental Law Institute ....

... the agency or employee explain and furnish proof of why they need to be exempted from the nepotism law ....

... Since bad bills tend to outnumber good ones, that means we played a lot of defense ....

... A $2 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by six women who were the victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment by former Adult Corrections Officers (ACOs) at the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) .... 

... Bills of interest introduced in 2023 ....

... two Sunshine Law amendments ....

... Apparently the Governor is becoming the appropriator--constitutionally a function of the Legislature .... 

“HTA is thankful that the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Legislature agreed on a funding approach that will allow HTA to continue...."

... for embezzling $96,000 while he was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Hawaii Longshore Division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142 ....

... a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from American consumers’ bank accounts ....

... On April 5, 2023, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court denied Hawaiʻi State Auditor Leslie Kondo full access to minutes of closed executive sessions of the OHA Board of Trustees ....

... After deferring the measure multiple times, WAM amended the bill to add two new provisions:  a section allowing tax credits for building a film studio, and a section making extensive amendments to the administration of the existing production credit.  This was done without the benefit of a public hearing ....

... Thompson admitted he violated the Conflicts of Interests law on fifteen occasions. He further admitted that he violated the Financial Disclosure law by failing to disclose his positions on the boards ....

... Following the reporter’s appeal to OIP, PSD provided a new estimate of $290 ....

... “Dead Bodies, Convicted Felons and Kakaako Makai: Meet the new Gang at OHA” ....

... House and Senate conferees began negotiations today on judiciary measures relating to fraud, fictitious claims, and campaign funds ....

... Rodenhurst was just elected as the 2nd Vice President of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.  He can probably be arrested at the next Board meeting ....