Bill > SB283

This bill modifies Hawaii's existing bribery statute by establishing more severe penalties for certain types of bribery involving elected or appointed officials. The bill defines bribery as either offering a pecuniary (monetary) benefit to a public servant with the intent to influence their official actions, or as a public servant soliciting or accepting such a benefit. While bribery remains a class B felony in most cases, the bill introduces a new provision that elevates the offense to a class A felony without the possibility of probation or suspended sentence if the public servant is an elected or appointed official and either the pecuniary benefit exceeds $50,000 or the person commits three or more bribery acts within a three-year period with an aggregate value over $50,000. The bill also removes the previous option for deferred acceptance of guilty pleas or no contest pleas for bribery convictions, effectively making the consequences more stringent. Additionally, the definition of "public servant" is expanded to include individuals who have been elected, appointed, or designated to become a public servant, even before they officially occupy the position.

Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=283&year=2026