URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPEDITE THE STATE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGED ACCEPTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $35,000 BY A STATE LEGISLATOR IN JANUARY 2022.

HR8

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

8

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE Department of the ATTORNEY GENERAL TO
PRIORITIZE AND EXPEDITE THE STATE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGED ACCEPTANCE OF
APPROXIMATELY $35,000 BY A STATE LEGISLATOR IN JANUARY 2022
.

����
WHEREAS, in
2022, former State Representative Ty J. K. Cullen and former State Senator J.
Kalani English each pleaded guilty in federal court to honest services wire
fraud for accepting bribes in exchange for official legislative acts; and

����
WHEREAS, unredacted
federal court filings submitted in support of Cullen's reduced sentence
describe a January 20, 2022, meeting in which Cullen, the subject of an
investigation, and an influential state legislator were present, and Cullen
recorded the subject providing the influential legislator with approximately
$35,000 purportedly intended for an existing campaign; and

����
WHEREAS, the discovery
of this transaction has prompted significant public demand for a state
investigation into the identity of the legislator involved, and state
legislative leadership has strongly urged that the matter be formally reviewed
to ensure accountability and transparency; and

����
WHEREAS, several
members of the House of Representatives reached out to the Department of the Attorney
General on multiple occasions to request that the State initiate an
investigation into these allegations; and

����
WHEREAS, on
November 7, 2025, leadership of the House of Representatives sent a letter to
the Department of the Attorney General requesting clarification on the status
of any investigation; and

����
WHEREAS, on
January 7, 2026, the twenty-three members of the House of Representatives who
were serving in office in January 2022 released the following signed statement
"[t]he House condemns any acceptance of campaign funds without reporting
those funds to the Campaign Spending Commission.
�
In response to the petition to 'Restore
Public Trust � Investigate the Unknown Hawai
ʻ
i
Legislator', the twenty-three currently serving House members who held office
in 2022 publicly affirm that they are not the lawmaker referenced in the United
States Attorney's pleading and that they have no knowledge of the identity of
said lawmaker."; and

����
WHEREAS, on
January 9, 2026, the Senate President released the following statement "[b]ased
upon the January 7, 2026 press release issued by Attorney General Anne Lopez,
who stated that the State of Hawai
ʻ
i
will not initiate any investigation regarding the alleged $35,000 campaign
contribution while the matter is still within the jurisdiction of the U.S.
Department of Justice and that 'any parallel state investigation into this
matter conducted by any state governmental entity does not serve the interests
of justice until the federal investigation has concluded,' the Hawai
ʻ
i State Senate will
await notice from the Department of the Attorney General with regard to its
review of the federal investigation and its pending course of action.
�
Additionally, all current sitting Senators
have been asked as to whether they received the alleged funds and/or if they
know any legislator who received the alleged funds.
�
All majority Senate members have stated that
they did not receive the alleged funds and do not know any legislator who received
the alleged funds.
�
None of the minority
members responded to my inquiry."; and

����
WHEREAS, on
January 16, 2026, federal authorities informed state officials that they would
provide the Attorney General with evidence concerning the alleged incident,
thereby creating a clear path for the Attorney General to proceed with a state
investigation without jeopardizing the ongoing federal investigation; and

����
WHEREAS, on
January 20, 2026, Governor Josh Green and Attorney General Anne Lopez jointly
determined that initiating a state investigation into this matter serves the
public interest; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Attorney General assigned the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division to
lead the investigation pursuant to section 28-2.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

����
WHEREAS, the
public deserves timely clarity regarding the circumstances of the alleged
$35,000 payment that occurred four years ago, making prompt action essential;
now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of the Attorney
General is urged to prioritize and expedite the state investigation into the
alleged acceptance of approximately $35,000 by a state legislator in January
2022; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to confirm
and notify the Legislature in writing as soon as possible that the legislator who
allegedly accepted the $35,000 is not a current member of the Thirty-Third
Legislature; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to notify the
Legislature upon completion of the investigation and, to the extent allowable,
provide a summary of findings for public release; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Governor and Attorney General.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Attorney
General; State Investigation; State Legislator