Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor (JDL) - chair: Clayton Hee, vice chair: Maile S.L. Shimabukuro

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 10:30 a.m.. Conference Room 016

Testifier: JoAnn Maruoka, LWV of Hawaii, Legislative Committee

Click here to view HB468, HD1

The League of Women Voters of Hawaii strongly supports HB 468, HD1, SD1 which provides standards for the selection of County Ethics Commissioners to ensure their independence and impartiality. In this time of badly eroded public trust and confidence, we feel it's vital that every effort be made to address ethics requirements correctly and well. County Ethics Commissions should be independent and nonpartisan. The members must have the will and the courage to fulfill their duties with impartiality and due diligence. The selection process is critical to ensuring their independence and impartiality. We heartily concur with requiring the counties to establish a selection process that ensures minimal involvement by those who are subject to an ethics commission's oversight. Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of HB 468, HD1, SD1.