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• Rep. Barbara Marumoto Releases An Article On Ethics

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Representative Barbara Marumoto (R) District 19
Office 808-586-86310 Fax 808-586-6311 Cell 808-228-1438
E-mail: repmarumoto@capitol.hawaii.gov



August 23, 2007
Contact: Michele Van Hessen
House Minority Research: 586-7033


ETHICS COMMITTEE NEEDED IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
By
Representative Barbara Marumoto

In January of 2006, House of Representatives leaders proclaimed with great hoopla that they were introducing a bill to initiate ethics reform in the Legislature. There were grandiose proclamations that the reform would increase transparency and accountability. There was also talk about prohibiting private sector interns from serving as staff for key chairmen during the legislative sessions. A bill was put forth to restore public confidence in elected officials. The Senate added provisions to add drug testing of politicians as well as restrict nepotism. Guess what? It didn't pass. By April, the bill was dead.

Now to Plan B, with no bill to show for their efforts, House majority leaders instead established a bipartisan task force to consider setting up a permanent "standards of conduct" committee for the House only, leaving the Senate to pursue its own plan.

Republicans have been asking for ethical accountability for years. The Minority Republican caucus members have requested that the task force to consider the following recommendations:

* Set up a permanent committee with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats
* Clearly define conflicts of interest.
* Prohibit nepotism.
* Strengthen House Rules regarding the waiting period for former legislators to become lobbyists
* Define honoraria and scholarships and require them to be reported as gifts.

Public interest groups anxiously await good results from this task force in the next few months.

-30-

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