Hawaii Commission Urges New State Felonies to Combat Public Corruption
While the Department of Justice has brought a number of public corruption cases against Hawaiian officials, including state legislators who pled guilty in February to taking bribes in exchange for decisions on legislation, the state was unable to charge them within existing laws.
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A Hawaii standards commission has recommended new felony offenses for the state that would open up potential new state-level charges in corruption cases against Hawaiian officials, Blaze Lovell reports for Honolulu Civil Beat. While the DOJ has brought a number of public corruption cases against Hawaiian officials, including state Senator J Kalani English and Representative Ty Cullen, who pled guilty in February to taking bribes in exchange for decisions on legislation, the state was unable to charge them within existing laws. After their guilty plea, the commission was formed to recommend new laws to weed out corruption and shore up ethics in the islands’ state government.
“Hopefully these types of laws will deter future conduct in those areas,” Kristin Izumi-Nitao, a commissioner member and director of the state Campaign Spending Commission, told Civil Beat. “There needs to be less acceptance to turn the other cheek, to turn a blind eye.”
