Disciplined, productive, discussions.
Dialogue on Lobbying
Why this project?
In a 50-state comparison of “Lobbying Disclosures” done by the State Integrity Project, Hawaii ranked "D-". In Hawaii, as elsewhere, lobbying is a sensitive matter that has implications and expectations for how government, business, the media, and the public are expected to function. Hawaii’s “D-“ derived from a series of indicators and individual scores as follows:
1. Is there a clear definition of a lobbyist in Hawaii? Score = 83%
2. Are lobbyists required to register with the state? Score = 31%
3. Are lobbyists required to disclose spending? Score = 68%
4. Are lobbyists’ employers or principals required to disclose spending? Score = 100%
5. Can citizens access the information reported from lobbyists to state government? Score = 66%
6. Is there effective monitoring of lobbying disclosure requirements? Score = 25%
This and other ratings were part of a much wider national, state-by-state look at issues of governance, accountability, transparency and how the public’s business is conducted.
This project jumps off from that score. Funded by a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF) to the Collaborative Leader’s Network (http://collaborativeleadersnetwork.org/), the project will bring together a small, disciplined, and diverse group of knowledgeable individuals as a study group to examine issues associated with lobbying and to make appropriate recommendations.