O for 4: For those of us keeping score — and that naturally includes The Sunshine Blog — legislation to set up a comprehensive system of public financing for all qualifying candidates seeking election to state and county public offices has now died four legislative sessions in a row.

Despite many good reasons to revamp our current way of financing political campaigns — Big Money wins! — there remains little appetite among some Hawaiʻi legislators to change the system. And even if they wanted to, it’s a tough sell to pay for it.

Although the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 2313 earlier this year, the House let the proposal die. Rep. David Tarnas, chair of the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, declined to hear the measure before an internal legislative deadline and so bye-bye bill.

He told The Blog Friday there just wasn’t enough support in his chamber — something he and Sen. Karl Rhoads, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have said since before the session started.

And demands on the state budget have only grown, Tarnas noted, with the latest being recovery costs from the Kona low storms and uncertainty over whether the Trump administration will acquiesce to Gov. Josh Green’s request for federal assistance.

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Good-government groups were rightly bummed to learn of the demise of SB 2313. In a statement Friday, the Clean Elections Hawai‘i Coalition pointed out that, with only five weeks left in a session darkened by the ongoing 2022 bribery scandal and the alleged $35,000 given to an influential lawmaker, “the public is still waiting for answers — and action.” And Hawaiʻi’s primary is just five months away.

Evan Weber of Our Hawaiʻi and a member of coalition said, however, there was still a chance to pass meaningful campaign finance reform this year. Those bills include what the coalition describes as a major upgrade to the state’s partial public funding system.

Senate Bill 2528 and companion House Bill 2050 would allow the expenditure limit for candidates who participate in the program to include a 4-to-1 match for small donations — an increase from the current 1-1 match. Tarnas also gets credit for adding a significant improvement to the House measure, allowing candidates to access up to 75% of their total funds in either the primary or general election.

Tarnas told The Blog Friday that an increase to the partial public funding program was possible this session, though different funding formulas in the House and Senate bills would have to be worked out in conference committee in late April.

“I want to improve our public financing for elections,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s support in the House to move out a comprehensive public financing bill. I hope that there’s support in the House to move out an increase in the partial public financing, and I’ve tried to make sure that my request is grounded in facts. It’s reasonable, and it advances something that is established in the constitution.”

We’ve only just begun: Maui County Council vice chair and mayoral candidate Yuki Lei Sugimura picked up a major endorsement Friday when the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters announced its support for her campaign. It’s arguably the union with the most money and clout in the state — part of the political powerhouse Pacific Resource Partnership and the super PAC Be Change Now. They are not shy about going all out on behalf of their favored candidates.

“She is the partner our members need, and we’re proud to support a leader who is committed to putting local craftspeople to work to deliver housing so local families can afford to stay and thrive across Maui Nui,” Ron Taketa, executive secretary-treasurer of the Carpenters Union, said in a press release.

Sugimura was stoked to get the nod, stating in the press release that the Carpenters liked her “pipes, permits and pavement” platform to tackle Maui’s housing crisis.

Mayor Richard Bissen has his own prominent union muscle to flex, with early endorsements from the Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association, Ironworkers Stabilization Fund and Iron Workers Union Local 625 and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142.

They jumped in on behalf of Bissen months ago, well before any opposition had publicly surfaced and political pundits have pontificated they might have been trying to head off serious competition.

Several other less-known candidates have also surfaced in the nonpartisan contest. The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 8 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

The race is on: And speaking of union support, The Blog hears Sen. Donna Kim may be in for at least a little bit of a run for her money this election. She’s drawn a primary opponent who is getting some buzz that may translate to union support.

Christy Kikue MacPherson is vying for the Senate District 14 seat (Kapālama, ‘Ālewa, Kalihi, Kalihi Valley, Ft. Shafter, Moanalua Gardens & Valley, Red Hill). She is the director of community engagement for Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.

In a press release last week, MacPherson identified herself as “a long-time community advocate” and a licensed clinical social worker. She’s a McKinley High School graduate who attended Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, and the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa.

MacPherson’s platform emphasizes access to quality health care and opportunities to learn, from preschool to higher education.

She includes a notable endorsement in her press release: David Lassner, the former UH president who clashed often with Kim.

“Christy will bring a fresh, new perspective as she works collaboratively and with aloha to address the real challenges that Hawaiʻi faces,” said Lassner. “Creating change in the Senate will be difficult, but she listens well and has the intelligence, integrity, and kindness we deserve in our lawmakers.”

Kim, one of the most powerful and longest-serving lawmakers in Hawaiʻi, has rarely had a primary challenger. The Blog will be interested to see how this year’s race shakes out.

Advised, consented: By a vote of 21-3, Dan Gluck has been confirmed by the state Senate to be an associate judge on the Intermediate Court of Appeals. The three Republican senators voted against Gov. Josh Green’s appointment but did not say why during Tuesday’s floor vote. Democrat Les Ihara was excused.

Gluck, who began his legal career in Honolulu as a legal intern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaiʻi, is a graduate of Cornell University where he received a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations. He got his law degree from Harvard Law School.

“Based on his qualifications, experience, and the strong support reflected in testimony, the committee is confident that Mr. Gluck possesses the legal expertise, temperament, and integrity necessary to serve with distinction on the Intermediate Court of Appeals,” Sen. Karl Rhoads, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said of the appointment, which is for 10 years.

High honors: Hawaiʻi’s only governor of Native Hawaiian ancestry is being proposed for a rare honor: the Aloha Order of Merit. Established by the Legislature in 1993, it recognizes individuals who have achieved national or international recognition in their field “either by a single event or by the totality of their work that has been either pioneering in their field or that has been outstanding in the long-term,” according to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes.

Dan Akaka, the late U.S. senator (in 2014), and George Ariyoshi, the former governor (in 2019), are prior recipients of the Aloha Order of Merit. Now, former Gov. John Waiheʻe III may soon be recognized.

Last week, a House committee approved House Concurrent Resolution 101, which notes that his election in 1994 “was nationally and internationally significant, representing a milestone for Native Hawaiian leadership and inspiring indigenous peoples across the United States and beyond.”

His election, the reso states, elevated the state’s role as a bridge between the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Waiheʻe was also a delegate to the 1978 Constitutional Convention that established the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and formally recognized the Hawaiian language as an official language of the state.

The companion Senate Concurrent Resolution 117 awaits that chamber’s consideration this session. Its author, Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, told The Blog the request came to him from the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

The Aloha Order of Merit is also bestowed to people who devoted themselves to the betterment of islands, provided extraordinary service to the state or brought honor to it.

Nothing to see here, folks: And last but not least, The Blog would be remiss if we didn’t report the latest on the investigation into the mystery legislator who the feds say took $35,000 from a potential briber back in 2022. It’s only a mystery to the public, of course, the investigators have a recording of the whole exchange. But they’re not saying anything yet, as the latest missive from the Attorney General’s Office makes clear.

Here’s Friday’s press release, reprinted in its entirety:

“The Department of the Attorney General today issued its regular biweekly update regarding the ongoing criminal investigation into the previously federally disclosed transfer of approximately $35,000 in funds.

“Since the department’s last communication, investigative activity has continued. Attorneys and investigators with the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) are actively reviewing materials obtained through subpoenas and have taken additional steps to secure further records and evidence relevant to the process. SIPD has also continued conducting interviews as part of the department’s ongoing efforts to establish a complete factual record.

“The matter remains an active criminal investigation. As such, the department is not yet in a position to identify any individuals who may be involved or discuss specific evidence. These standard investigative practices are necessary to maintain integrity of the investigation and uphold due process rights.

“‘The department’s work is proceeding deliberately and in accordance with our legal and ethical responsibilities. We remain committed to a thorough and impartial review of the facts,’ said Attorney General Anne Lopez.

“Consistent with its commitment to transparency, the department will continue to provide public updates on a biweekly basis, while safeguarding the integrity of the investigation. The next scheduled public update will be provided on Friday, April 10, 2026.”