Campaign Spending Commission

Campaign Spending Commission Meeting
Zoom Video Conference
January 7, 2026
10:00 a.m.

Commissioners Present
David Chee, Danton Wong, Jon Itomura, Barbara Polk

Staff Present
Kristin E. Izumi-Nitao, Kristie Chang, Terence Lau, Anthony Diep

Deputy Attorney General
Candace Park

Guest(s)
Caroline Peters Belsom, Blaze Lovell

Call to Order
Chair Chee called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.

Chair Chee went over the procedures for the remote meeting via Zoom and introduced the Commissioners and Commission staff who were present.  The Commissioners present stated that there was no one else with them.  He also noted that incoming Commissioner, Caroline Peters Belsom, is present and observing as a member of the public.

Consideration and Approval of Minutes of Meeting on 12/19/25
Vice-Chair Wong proposed an amendment to the 3^rd paragraph on page 4 under Report on the 2025 COGEL Conference, to read: “Vice-Chair Wong shared that this was his second time attending a COGEL conference, and it reinforced his belief that advancing public financing would greatly benefit everyone.  He cited New York’s model with $100 million allocated and an 8-1 matching ratio as a success and that public financing there is seen as a badge of honor.”

Commissioner Polk moved to approve the amended minutes of the meeting held on 12/19/25.  Motion seconded by Vice-Chair Wong.  Motion carried (4-0).

New Business
Presentation, Consideration, and Discussion of Draft Advisory Opinion No. 26-01 – General Counsel Chang stated that Carol Lee Kamekona requested an advisory opinion on 11/17/25 on whether campaign funds can be used during the appointment process to fill the Maui County Council seat for the Kahului area.  The seat became vacant after Councilmember Tasha Kama’s passing on 10/26/25.  Under the Maui County Charter, the seat must be filled within 30 days; if less than 15 months remain in the term, it is filled by appointment, otherwise, there would be a special election.  The Council missed the 30 days deadline, so Mayor Bissen appointed Kauanoe Batangan as the succeeding Councilmember.

General Counsel Chang further stated that the advisory opinion drafted explains that campaign funds are legally tied to election-related activities for candidates seeking nomination or election. Since this situation involves an appointment, not an election, the statutes do not allow campaign funds to be used for this purpose.  General Counsel Chang explained that staff provided an oral response to the requester shortly after the advisory opinion request was received, and informed her that the request will not be heard by the Commission until the January meeting, but Ms. Kamekona’s committee requested a formal opinion in writing, hoping for future changes to the law or its application as Ms. Kamekona feels that it is an unfair advantage for those that are registered with the Commission and those that are not.

Chair Chee commented that the Commission is obligated to provide advisory opinions, which General Counsel Chang elaborated on a 90 days timeframe from when all necessary information is received that the Commission must issue an opinion by, otherwise, the facts and circumstances provided in the submitted request are considered approved.  Furthermore, the Commission is bound by any advisory opinions going forward unless they are formally revoked.

General Counsel Chang also stated that a draft of the advisory opinion was provided to the requester along with the agenda for today’s meeting; however, no representative from the requested party is present to provide testimony.

Commissioner Polk asked staff why the requester believes this situation puts her at a disadvantage.  General Counsel Chang explained that there are individuals who are not registered with the Commission being considered for the appointment as well, meaning they are not subject to campaign finance laws.  As a result, those individuals can freely petition for the appointment, while the requester—who is registered—is restricted in how she can use campaign funds; however, there is no restriction for her to use personal funds.

Commissioner Itomura moved to approve draft Advisory Opinion No. 26-01.  Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

Old Business
Consideration, Discussion, Approval, and/or Update of Commission Legislation and Other Related Bills/Resolutions for the 2026 Legislative Session – General Counsel Chang stated that at the last meeting, this item was removed from the agenda due to concerns that the agenda posted on the State’s calendar lacked sufficient specificity for the public to determine whether they wanted to participate.  This matter was deferred because our legislative package was already prepared, and the discussion was primarily about the ‘pay-to-play’ bill and threshold changes. The legislative package has since been submitted on 12/23/25.

She provided a brief overview of the submitted bills:

• CSC-01 – Relating to Partial Public Financing of Elections: Increases the amount of partial public financing available to all elected officials.
• CSC-02 – Relating to Campaign Contributions: Amends HRS §11-364 to require that any excess contributions of $100 or more in cash from a single person be escheated to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund if not returned within 30 days.
• CSC-03 – Relating to Campaign Contributions: Amends HRS §11-355 to expand the government contractor ban to include state and county grantees and their officers and immediate family.  Previously, the Commission voted to change the grant threshold from “$100,000 or more” to “more than $100,000.”  After reviewing State Procurement Office materials, staff recommended reverting to “$100,000 or more” for consistency.  If approved, staff will clarify this in testimony. Staff also seek guidance on language regarding excluding contributions to ballot issue committees, as this may arise in other legislation.
• CSC-04 – Relating to Campaign Contributions: Amends HRS §11-357 to prohibit state and county elected officials from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions during any regular or special sessions.
• CSC-05 – Relating to Campaign Spending Commission: Amends HRS §11-314 to adjust salaries for the Commission’s Executive Director and Associate Director to align with similar compliance and enforcement roles.  Includes an appropriation of $138,679 for FY 2027 to fund these increases.
• CSC-06 – Relating to Campaign Spending Commission Electronic Filing System: A housekeeping measure to require certain campaign reports and documents to be filed electronically in our new system rather than by mail.

General Counsel Chang also reported that she and Executive Director Izumi-Nitao have met with Representative David Tarnas (JHA), Senator Angus McKelvey (GVO), Senator Karl Rhoads (JDC), Senate President Ron Kouchi, Senator Donovan Dela Cruz’s (WAM) staff, and will be meeting with Speaker Nadine Nakamura and some other Representatives to discuss the Commission’s bills on 1/22/26 and answer any questions that they may have.

Chair Chee asked if the Commission has any concern for any of the bills, if not, then he would like to discuss the questions regarding CSC-03 that General Counsel Chang mentioned.

There was no concern for the other bills.

Chair Chee asked if there is any concern on adopting State Procurement Office’s language of “$100,000 or more” as the threshold for grants in CSC-03.

There was no concern from the Commission.

Next, Chair Chee wanted to discuss if ballot issue committees should be excluded from CSC-03.  He believes that there are significant opportunities for individuals to profit from ballot initiatives.  For example, if there were a ballot measure on stadium redevelopment or a similar project, it’s easy to see how people could benefit financially.  He thinks it falls within the scope of “pay-to-play,” which is why he supports expanding the provision to include ballot initiatives.

Vice-Chair Wong asked about how to define who would benefit from a ballot initiative.

Executive Director Izumi-Nitao explained that ballot issue committees are noncandidate committees, so they must register and disclose information to the Commission.  In other words, the Commission and the public will know what ballot measure they support and who contributed to them.  The difference is that their lifespan only exists for the duration of the ballot measure, so once the ballot issue is decided, the committees will have to terminate its registration within 90 days.

Vice-Chair Wong and Commissioner Polk asked if applied, would the ban cover all ballot issues or just the issues that the contractor can benefit from.  Executive Director Izumi-Nitao confirmed that it covers all ballot issues.

Commissioner Polk expressed her concern regarding the scope of the ban being too broad if it will prevent contractors from contributing to ballot measures that they do not benefit from.

Executive Director Izumi-Nitao commented that if this question comes up during legislation, staff will raise the concern that there is a desire for some form of nexus to be identified rather than a complete ban.

Discussion ensued on the difficulty in determining the nexus.

Chair Chee suggested that the Commission revisit this topic when there is actual bill language available that would allow for more informed feedback.

Report on the 2026 Legislative Session Calendar – General Counsel Chang briefed the Commission on the 2026 Legislative Session Calendar’s notable dates.

• Jan. 21 – Opening Day
• Jan. 28 – Last Day to Introduce Bills
• Mar. 12 – First Crossover (deadline to pass 3rd reading in originating chamber)
• Mar. 18 – Budget Bill Crossover
• Apr. 16 – Second Crossover (deadline to pass 3rd reading in non-originating chamber)
• May 1 – Final Decking fiscal bills
• May 8 – Adjournment Sine Die

Executive Director Izumi-Nitao noted that staff will identify bills that can affect the Commission and report them at the February meeting.

Report from Executive Director
Report on Compliance of Filing Timely Disclosure Reports – Executive Director Izumi-Nitao reported that there were no reports due since the Commission’s last meeting, but there will be a Supplemental Report covering the period of 7/1/25 to 12/31/25 due on 2/2/26 that is required to be filed by all registered committees, which consist of 431 candidate committees and 248 noncandidate committees.

She further reported that staff have begun sending out filing reminder emails, and there will be one sent out at the beginning of each week from now until the deadline.  The 2026 January newsletter that will be published after this meeting also included a reminder to file this report.  She added that this is the last report that the current schedule of fines will applies, and the new schedule of fines will be effective for reports due after 2/2/26.

Commissioner Polk commented that the newsletter is very long.  Executive Director Izumi-Nitao agreed but felt that the information provided is pertinent to helping the Commission meet its strategic goals.

Vice-Chair Wong suggested adding a table of contents to allow readers to easily locate the information they need rather than needing to read through the whole newsletter.

Chair Chee asked for an update on the development of the new filing system provided by Maplight to be included in Report from Executive Director for future meetings.

Executive Session
*Consideration and Approval of Executive Session Minutes of Meeting on 12/19/25 – Chair Chee asked if there were no corrections or amendments to the proposed executive session minutes on 12/19/25, he would ask for a motion in open session to approve them.

Vice-Chair Wong moved to approve the executive session minutes on 12/19/25. Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

There being no further business, Chair Chee stated that the Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2026 and asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Vice-Chair Wong moved to adjourn the meeting.  Motion seconded by Commissioner Polk.  Motion carried (4-0).

Meeting Adjourned at 10:55 a.m.