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HB765 • 2026

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Elections Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
BELATTI, GRANDINETTI, HUSSEY, KAPELA, MARTEN, MATSUMOTO, PERRUSO, REYES ODA
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material did not provide specific details on enforcement or penalties for violations, leaving some aspects of implementation uncertain.

Rules About Contributions from State and County Contractors

This bill stops officers, senior employees, consultants, and their immediate family members who work with state or county contractors from giving money to political campaigns during the time they are working on a contract.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes it illegal for certain people connected to state or county contracts to give money to candidate committees or noncandidate committees while the contract is active.
  • Requires that any unlawful contribution must be returned within 30 days, otherwise the money goes to Hawaii's election campaign fund.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Officers of state or county contractors
  • Senior employees of state or county contractors
  • Consultants for state or county contracts
  • Immediate family members of those working with state or county contractors

Terms To Know

Contractor
A company or individual that provides goods or services to the government.
Contribution
Money given to a political candidate or group for campaign purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if someone breaks this rule.
  • It is unclear how strictly the law will be enforced.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-21 H

    Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 2

  3. 2025-01-21 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  4. 2025-01-17 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.
State or County Contractors; Officers; Senior Employees; Consultants; Immediate Family Members; Prohibited Contributions
Prohibits officers, senior employees, consultants, and immediate family members of state or county contractors from contributing to candidate committees or noncandidate committees for the duration of the contract. Provides that if any unlawful contribution is not returned to the contributor within 30 days, the unlawful contribution shall escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB765

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

765

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to campaign contributions
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 11-355,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

����
"
[
[
]�
11-355[
]
]
�
Contributions
by state
[
and
]

or

county contractors
, officers, senior employees, consultants, or immediate
family members of state or county contractors;
prohibited.
�
(a)
�

It shall be unlawful for any person who enters into any contract with
the State, any of the counties, or any department or agency thereof either for
the rendition of personal services, the buying
or leasing
of property,
or furnishing of any material, supplies, or equipment to the State, any of the
counties, any department or agency thereof, or for selling any land or building
to the State, any of the counties, or any department or agency thereof, if
payment for the performance of the contract or payment for material, supplies,
equipment, land, property, or building is to be made in whole or in part from
funds appropriated by the legislative body, at any time between the execution
of the contract through the completion of the contract, to:

����
(1)
�
Directly or
indirectly make any contribution, or promise expressly or impliedly to make any
contribution to any candidate committee or noncandidate committee, or to any
candidate or to any person for any political purpose or use; or

����
(2)
�
Knowingly solicit
any contribution from any person for any purpose during any period.

����
(b)
�
It shall be unlawful for any officer, senior
employee, consultant, or immediate family member of any state or county
contractor under subsection (a), at any time between the execution of the
contract through the completion of the contract pursuant to subsection (a), to
directly or indirectly make any contribution to any candidate committee or
noncandidate committee.

����
[
(b)
]
(c)
�
Except as provided in [
subsection (a),
]

subsections (a) and (b),
this section does not prohibit or make unlawful
the establishment or administration of, or the solicitation of contributions
to, any noncandidate committee by any person other than the state or county
contractor for the purpose of influencing the nomination for election, or the
election of any person to office.

����
(d)
�
Any candidate, candidate committee, or
noncandidate committee receiving a contribution made unlawful by this section
shall return the unlawful contribution to the contributor within thirty days of
receipt.
�
If any unlawful contribution is
not returned to the contributor within thirty days of receipt, the unlawful
contribution shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.

����
[
(c)
]
(e)
�
For purposes of this section, "completion
of the contract" means that the parties to the government contract have
either terminated the contract prior to completion of performance or fully
performed the duties and obligations under the contract, no disputes relating
to the performance and payment remain under the contract, and all disputed
claims have been adjudicated and are final."

����
SECTION 2.
�
This Act does not affect rights and duties
that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun
before its effective date.

����
SECTION 3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

State or
County Contractors; Officers; Senior Employees; Consultants; Immediate Family
Members; Prohibited Contributions

Description:

Prohibits
officers, senior employees, consultants, and immediate family members of state
or county contractors from contributing to candidate committees or noncandidate
committees for the duration of the contract.
�

Provides that if any unlawful contribution is not returned to the
contributor within 30 days, the unlawful contribution shall escheat to the
Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

The summary description
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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.