i L i n d . n e t

Remember my prediction made here on Wednesday that the State Ethics Commission would likely take no action against Hawaii Superferry, Inc. for its blatant failure to fully disclose the cost of its lobbying efforts?
I wrote that the commission:
…concentrates on obtaining voluntary compliance, even if after the fact. This means that there will likely be no […]

[Read more →]

Hawaii Superferry, Inc. spent more than 17 times the amount previously disclosed while lobbying for special legislation during 2007, according to amended disclosure forms filed today with the State Ethics Commission.
The company now reports having spent a total of $379,431.52 during calendar year 2007. It had previously filed reports claiming total expenditures of just $21,791.56.
According […]

[Read more →]

The State Ethics Commission has found no evidence that State Rep. Michael Magaoay violated state ethics laws when he accepted campaign contributions from individuals associated with nonprofit organizations at the same time that he was chair of a committee that wielded control of the legislature’s grants in aid process.
The commission’s Informal Advisory Opinion 2008-1, dated […]

[Read more →]

My comments here on Saturday concerning SB3171 (registration of charities) drew a response from a friend that might be of interest.
Here’s his initial comment:
This bill is going to kill the small non-profits. Look at all the PTAs, soccer and little leagues, and other non-profits that are going to become criminals under this law. […]

[Read more →]

Today’s Advertiser has a good story by Derrick DePledge on reported spending by organizations that employ lobbyists. The story focuses on the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which ranks high in reported spending. The news hook was that HSTA ranked #4 among the big spenders. What? Since when did being #4 catapult you into the headline?
HSTA […]

[Read more →]

I spent several hours in the State Ethics Commision office last week browsing through their hard copies of files, most of which are available online but that are easier to review quickly on paper.
It got me thinking about what a con job is done on the public by the legislature and governor. In most cases, […]

[Read more →]

Capitol Hill Blue had an interesting commentary on coverage of Sen. John McCain’s verbal outburst during last week’s meeting on the Senate’s immigration bill. I don’t know that I agree with the columnist’s views on what McCain’s comment means politically, but the question of how the press reported or failed to report his verbal […]

[Read more →]

If you read yesterday’s entry and couldn’t find the link to the U.S. News report on American Water, you weren’t alone. But I eventually got that link fixed, so don’t hesitate to try again.
After spending last weekend in Baltimore, I couldn’t help noticing a proposal to allow emergency imposition of “public safety act zones” giving […]

[Read more →]