UPDATED 8/20/12 6:00 p.m.

Hawaii lawmakers raked in close to $800,000 for their campaign purses during this year’s legislative session, a Civil Beat analysis of campaign finance filings shows.

The most recent batch of reports reveals that 69 sitting legislators received 2,074 contributions amounting to $775,845 during session. That marks a 75 percent increase from last year.

During the 2011 legislative session, 58 sitting lawmakers drew in 997 contributions adding up to roughly $443,000.

This year’s elections likely fueled the surge. And so did decennial reapportionment, which has pit some former colleagues against each other and caused competition over seats in redrawn districts to intensify.

All 25 senators are running for reelection. All but four incumbent representatives are, too. Reps. Kymberly Pine and Joey Manahan left their seats to run for Honolulu City Council. Reps. Barbara Marumoto and Jerry Chang chose not to run for reelection.

Forty-five lawmakers held fundraisers during session this year, compared to 25 last year. (This year’s session began January 18 and ended May 3.)

Fundraising during session raises conflict-of-interest concerns because legislators’ votes could appear to be influenced by donations.

The Legislature has considered a range of bills intended to restrict in-session contributions. One was Senate Bill 2561, which would have prohibited incumbent legislators from fundraising during session in order to increase the public’s confidence in lawmakers. But the bill, introduced last session, never got a hearing.

Twenty-nine states have placed restrictions on the kinds of donations legislators can receive during session. Fifteen of them — including Florida, Illinois and Washington — ban in-session contributions altogether, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Largest In-Session Recipients

Last year, the biggest recipients of contributions during session were Sens. Clayton Hee, Josh Green, Brickwood Galuteria, Donna Mercado Kim and Ron Kouchi. Mercado Kim is the only lawmaker who made the top-five list both this and last year. She did not return calls for comment.

1. Speaker of the House Calvin Say (District 20: St. Louis Heights, Palolo Valley, Maunalani Heights, Wilhelmina Rise, Kaimuki): 232 donations totaling about $138,000

2. Rep. Joey Manahan (District 29: Sand Island, Mokauea, Kalihi Kai, Kapalama; running for City Council): 118 donations totaling about $65,000

3. Sen. Michelle Kidani (District 17: Mililani, Waipio): 98 donations totaling about $40,000

4. Mercado Kim (District 14: Moanalua, Aiea, Fort Shafter, Kalihi Valley, Halawa Valley): 108 donations totaling about $39,000

5. Donovan Dela Cruz (District 22: Kunia, Mililani Mauka, Wahiawa, Haleiwa, Mokuleia, Waialua and Sunset Beach): 95 donations totaling about $39,000

Biggest In-Session Donors

Here are some of the biggest in-session donors, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports:

• John Radcliffe, lobbyist: 36 donations totaling about $27,000

• Red Morris, lobbyist: 32 donations totaling about $25,000

• Liberty Dialysis, LLC, dialysis clinic developer & operator: 19 donations totaling about $22,050

• Ironworkers for Better Government, union/political action committee: 34 donations totaling about $15,000

• Royal Hawaiian Movers, local moving company: 14 donations totaling about $9,000

Lawmakers: ‘There’s No Hidden Effect’

Galuteria sees nothing wrong with in-session contributions. The Democrat raised 86 percent of his 2011 campaign money during last year’s legislative session — making him 2011’s No. 3 biggest in-session recipient — but reported no in-session contributions this year.

When we asked Galuteria in June why he raised so much money — more than $35,000 — during last year’s session, he said it was because session is the only time the whole Legislature is under one roof. Lawmakers, he said, often donate to each other’s reelection campaigns.

“My colleagues are around and we can support each other,” he had said. “There’s no hidden effect…I don’t want to imply that I’m in any way indebted to [lobbyists].”

Galuteria said on Monday that, for him, a fundraiser’s date is irrelevant, that he’s immune to outside influence regardless of when a contribution is postmarked.

“Personally, for me, it comes down to schedule,” he said.

Galuteria, who represents the district that includes downtown Honolulu, Kakaako and Waikiki, will face Republican Liz Larson in the November general election.

Dela Cruz says he throws fundraisers during session because that’s a time period that most agrees with both his and others’ schedules. According to Dela Cruz, who typically holds joint fundraisers with Sen. Malama Solomon, many lawmakers hold their fundraisers at the Mandalay, a restaurant down the street from the state Capitol.

“We selected a date where the Mandalay had availability,” he said, commenting on a fundraiser he held with Solomon during this year’s session. “When we called in, a lot of the dates were actually already taken, and that was the date they had offered.”

The two Senators held their joint fundraiser on February 13. Dela Cruz is running against Republican Charles “Bo” Aki in the general election. Solomon, who represents the Waimea, Hamakua and Hilo areas on the Big Island, received 69 more votes than her Democratic opponent Lorraine Inouye in last week’s primary, according to final election returns. But in light of election-day irregularities in Hawaii County, Inouye plans to investigate the accuracy of the results.

Say provided a similar response, noting that his 2012 fundraiser was the first one he’d held in eight years. He said that the amount he’s received this year — close to $140,000 — is an anomaly for him.

This year has been an important year for him, Say explained. First, he celebrated his 60th birthday in February. Second, it’s the Year of the Dragon — an important juncture in the Chinese calendar.

“This year was a reflection of the strong support from the business community, and I had a lot of contributions from close friends and the Chinese community,” he said. “I also wanted to have a birthday bash…I don’t think there is any conflict of interest. ‘Calvin Say’ is one out of 51 members in the Legislature. The other 50 members do have their individual votes, but look at my record. I think it’s clear where I stand.”

Say beat his Democratic opponent in the primary by about 57 percent. He’ll face Green Party member Keiko Bonk¹ in the general election.