The Legislature Killed Reform. New Finance Chair Gives Us Hope
Despite overwhelming public support and unanimous votes in both chambers, House Bill 371 — which would have closed a glaring pay-to-play loophole in our campaign finance laws — was killed behind closed doors. No public explanation. No accountability. Just silence from leadership.
Columnists and citizens alike are calling it out:
David Shapiro of the Star-Advertiser highlighted how lawmakers gave themselves 48% raises — while rejecting real reforms and leaving working families behind.
A Civil Beat editorial laid out a roadmap to break the Legislature's grip on power, starting with new leadership, rules changes, and fresh candidates.
A judge is now weighing whether House leaders violated the Constitution by making decisions in private — a practice that may be widespread.
The legislature rejected nearly every serious reform: public campaign financing, term limits, expanded voter access, and transparency rules. The only win received this year was increased funding for the Campaign Spending Commission staff, an office that has been underfunded for years.
But just days after the session ended, we saw a major shift: Speaker Nadine Nakamura has ousted Rep. Kyle Yamashita from his powerful position as House Finance Chair. This shift sends a strong signal that business as usual is no longer acceptable. Speaker Nakamura is demonstrating a willingness to listen, respond, and reset the balance of power, a leadership step that reform advocates deeply appreciate.
Even more encouraging: New Finance Chair Rep. Chris Todd of Hilo made a public statement that reflects exactly what we’ve been asking for.
“We are not looking to have the Finance Committee be the end-all, be-all decision-maker on all matters,” Todd said. House leadership is planning changes “in a way where we’re not dictating policy matters to subject matter chairs.” He added that only bills that affect state finances should require Finance Committee approval — a change that would shift power back to policy committees and simplify the lawmaking process.
This is exactly what we’ve been asking for. It’s a direct response to the call for fairer, more transparent legislative rules — and a sign that public pressure is working. The ground is shifting. And we’re organizing to make it count.
HAPA has laid out a clear, achievable agenda to fix what’s broken:
End secret deferral and require public votes on all bills in committee.
Ensure hearings for bills with majority support.
Release public testimony 22+ hours in advance.
Stop non-fiscal bills from being buried in finance committees.
Publish all amendments before votes.
Ban contributions from government contractors.
Increase funding for public campaign financing.
End the transfer of funds between candidates.
Let the people vote on term limits.
These aren’t radical ideas — they’re common-sense changes rooted in transparency, accountability, and fairness.
What Comes Next
We’re building grassroots momentum through petitions, neighborhood board resolutions, and community action. And we need your help to push these reforms into the spotlight ahead of the 2026 session — and the next wave of elections.
Sign our petition calling for good government reforms: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/democracy-reform
Bring our resolution to your neighborhood board or community group: 11 neighborhood boards on O‘ahu have already passed a Good Government resolution supporting rules changes and laws.
Help recruit and support new candidates who will fight for these changes
We’ve seen what happens when power is concentrated in too few hands. But now, with leadership in flux and public pressure rising, we have a window to act.
Let’s organize, uplift new leaders, and bring the sunshine in.
Aloha
Aria Juliet Castillo
Co-Founder, Kuleana Academy
Program Director, Reclaiming Democracy
