(a) No legislator or employee shall use or attempt to use the legislator’s or employee’s official position to secure or grant unwarranted privileges, exemptions, advantages, contracts, or treatment, for oneself or others; including but not limited to the following:

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 84-13

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
(1) Seeking other employment or contract for services for oneself by the use or attempted use of the legislator’s or employee’s office or position;
(2) Accepting, receiving, or soliciting compensation or other consideration for the performance of the legislator’s or employee’s official duties or responsibilities except as provided by law;
(3) Using state time, equipment or other facilities for private business purposes; or
(4) Soliciting, selling, or otherwise engaging in a substantial financial transaction with a subordinate or a person or business whom the legislator or employee inspects or supervises in the legislator’s or employee’s official capacity.
(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a legislator from introducing bills and resolutions, from serving on a committee, or from making statements or taking official action as a legislator. Every legislator shall publicly disclose the nature and extent of the interest or transaction that the legislator believes may be affected by the legislator’s official action in accordance with § 84-17 and the rules of each house of the legislature.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a person from:

(1) Serving on a task force; or
(2) Making statements or taking official action as a task force member or a task force member’s designee or representative;

provided that every task force member or designee or representative of a task force member shall publicly disclose the nature and extent of any interest or transaction that the task force member or task force member’s designee or representative believes may be affected by the task force member’s official action.

(d) The state ethics commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate the purposes of this section, except that each house of the legislature shall adopt rules regarding the disclosure of the nature and extent of any interest or transaction that the legislator believes may be affected by the legislator’s official action. Rules adopted by the state ethics commission shall apply only until such time that each house of the legislature adopts its own rules. Upon the passage of rules pursuant to this section by either house of the legislature, the rules adopted by the state ethics commission shall be preempted by the rules of each respective house of the legislature.

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