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David Shapiro on how legislators killed reform bill

In today's Honolulu Advertiser Volcanic Ash column, Legislators work hard for their money, David Shapiro describes how the gutting and replacement of SB1061, a bill passed unanimously by the Senate, was used to keep lobbyist money flowing in:

Giving credit where due, the Senate did unanimously pass a worthwhile reform this year to prohibit lobbyists from making political donations when the Legislature is in session.

But the measure was quickly derailed in the House by the most devious of means.

Rep. Sylvia Luke, Judiciary Committee chairwoman, gutted the Senate bill on lobbyist donations and inserted unrelated language that could have rolled back the state's "sunshine law."

Alarmed sunshine advocates demanded that Luke table the reconstituted bill, which she gladly did — bloodlessly killing the underlying campaign-reform measure in the process.

Activists who support both open government and clean elections were left frozen in their tracks.

Luke said the lobbyist restrictions could still come back this session in another vehicle, but don't wait to exhale on that one.

She used the same dodge last year when she killed a bill tightening Hawai'i's shamefully lax bribery laws for public officials.

It's a shame that lawmakers reserve their best creativity for protecting their own interests and those of their benefactors.

Imagine the good things that could happen if they applied such ingenuity to solving Hawai'i's problems.

Worse, she did it without a public hearing, although the record falsely indicates she held one.

posted by Larry @ 5:14 AM