The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs on Feb. 3, 2026.
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Feb. 3, 2026, 2 p.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 325 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs
Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair
Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice-Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HB1521 — RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
Aloha chair, vice-chair and other committee members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its support for HB1521, which would clarify state law regarding government contracting. It states that any records created, received, maintained or used by contractors performing government functions on behalf of public agencies shall be subject to the Uniform Information Practices Act.
We applaud this effort to eliminate a loophole that could allow an agency to evade transparency requirements for records that are related to work carried out by private entities under a government contract.
The intent of sunshine laws is to provide public access to government decision-making and actions, especially when those actions involve the use of public funds. Allowing agencies to avoid disclosure of records related to contract work would frustrate this intent.
Furthermore, transparency laws help discourage government corruption and self-dealing — concerns that are often heightened in the case of government contracting.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
