Major Win! Governor Green Signs Historic Corporate Money Reform Into Law
Major Win! Governor Green Signs Historic Corporate Money Reform Into Law
Yesterday, Governor Josh Green signed SB2471 into law, marking one of the most significant campaign finance reforms in Hawaiʻi in decades. Now enacted as Act 011, the law restricts certain political spending by corporations and other “artificial persons” under Hawaiʻi law, helping move our state closer to a democracy where political power belongs to people, not corporate bank accounts.
Congresswoman Jill Tokuda recently said, “If we really break it down, super PACs and dark money are probably the most abusive forms of political bullying and intimidation that you can experience.” She’s right.
The Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision unleashed unlimited corporate money into elections by equating corporations with people and political spending with “free speech.” That decision accelerated the collapse of public trust in our democracy.
Since Citizens United, billions in dark money have flooded our political system, distorting democracy for the benefit of wealthy individuals and corporations. This is not just a mainland or presidential election problem.
In Hawaiʻi, we have seen massive outside spending shape races from governor to county council. Meanwhile, ordinary people are left competing with super PACs and wealthy interests for a voice in their own democracy.
This session, SB2471 marked real progress by moving Hawaiʻi closer to protecting elections from outsized corporate influence. Political money will have to come from actual people, with actual names attached to it — not as another line item in a billion-dollar corporate balance sheet, and not through arrangements that funnel money tied to every hour worked into political action funds.
HAPA’s Reclaiming Democracy program seeks to address the root causes of regulatory capture in our local government by building community political power.
This program area confronts systemic disparities within our social institutions and calls for reform by further resourcing frontline communities to lead, organize, and fully participate in civic affairs.
A core pillar of that work is publicly funded elections. Although a fully public financing proposal passed unanimously through the Senate, it was never granted a House hearing. Still, we secured the first meaningful improvements to Hawaiʻi’s partial public financing system in more than 15 years, including increased funding, higher expenditure limits, and expanded flexibility for candidates.
At one point in the session, both the House and Senate supported a 4-to-1 public match system. In the end, lawmakers settled on 2-to-1. That is still progress — but we can and should do better. Hawaiʻi’s Constitution already recognizes that publicly funded elections are essential to a healthy democracy. The question is not whether we believe in the principle — it’s whether we are willing to fully invest in it.
Public financing alone is not a cure for corruption. Some of our biggest critics are right that even the strongest public financing system can still be overwhelmed by super PACs and dark money groups spending independently and without meaningful limits.
Billionaires can still spend unlimited personal wealth on elections. Candidates can still shuffle money between campaign accounts, and government contractors can still donate to the very officials approving lucrative public contracts.
But SB2471 lays the groundwork for stronger reforms ahead. Hawaiʻi is moving closer to a system where candidates rely more on people-powered support and less on wealthy interests.
There are broader reforms still worth discussing — campaign spending caps, restrictions on war chests, stronger transparency laws, and real pay-to-play protections.
Reclaiming democracy means rebuilding a government people can trust and making clear that our democracy is not for sale.
With Governor Green’s signature, Hawaiʻi has now taken a historic step toward that future.
Please be sure to thank Gov Green and let him know what this historic measure means to you: https://governor.hawaii.gov/comments-on-legislation
In Solidarity,
Aria Juliet Castillo
Reclaiming Democracy Program Director
