HONOLULU — The Hawaii State Ethics Commission announced Tuesday that it had resolved an investigation of state Sen. Maile Shimabukuro related to a public appearance she made in her official capacity as a legislator that also involved the distribution of goodie bags promoting her reelection campaign.

What You Need To Know

  • Shimabukuro attended a June 4 parade celebrating several Nanakuli School athletic teams to present legislative certificates and deliver a brief speech

  • At the parade, she offered student-athletes goodie bags tagged with a campaign card

  • The commission found that the incident represented a breach of the State Ethics Code’s Fair Treatment Law, which prohibits a legislator from using his or her position for personal benefit

  • Shimabukuro was fined $300 for the violation

According to information provided by Shimabukuro, who represents District 21 (Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Ko Olina, Nanakuli, Maiili, Waianae, Makaha, Makua), the senator attended a June 4 parade celebrating several Nanakuli School athletic teams to present legislative certificates and deliver a brief speech.

A day before the parade, Shimabukuro asked a legislative aide to put together small goodie bags containing snacks to give to the students at the parade. The aide was an occasional volunteer for Shimabukuro’s reelection campaign and had taken personal leave from Shimabukuro’s legislative office that day.

The aide purchased the snacks and prepared about 70 goodie bags. According to the commission’s report, the aide performed the work on her own time and did not use any state resources. Shimabukuro used her personal funds to reimburse her aide for the purchase.

The aide attached to each goodie bag a small card used by Shimabukuro’s campaign committee that included a photo of the candidate, the text “Friends of Maile Shimabukuro” and contact information for the committee.

At the parade, Shimabukuro stood next to a table on which the goodie bags had been placed and invited the student-athletes to take a bag as she presented the legislative certificates.

While Shimabukuro did not mention either the reelection campaign or the campaign committee during her speech, the commission noted that she only has access to the table and the opportunity to distribute the bags because of her attendance in a legislative capacity. No other candidates were invited to display or distribute campaign materials at the parade.

The commission found that the incident represented a breach of the State Ethics Code’s Fair Treatment Law, which prohibits a legislator from using his or her position for personal benefit.

“The Commission’s investigation showed that Respondent Shimabukuro attended the parade in her official capacity as a member of the Senate,” the commission stated in its report on the investigation. “She then displayed and distributed campaign material at the parade. By using her official position to gain access to parade resources and participants and then promoting her candidate campaign, Respondent Shimabukuro violated the Fair Treatment Law.”

Shimabukuro admitted the violation, cooperated fully and was “forthright and candid in speaking with the Commission’s staff,” the report stated. She was fined $300 for the violation.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.