Bill > SB1593

This bill changes Hawaii's campaign finance laws by eliminating the ability of candidates to carry over campaign funds indefinitely and establishing a more structured process for handling leftover campaign money. Specifically, the bill requires candidates who are elected or lose an election to use or return campaign funds within a limited timeframe (thirty days plus the length of the term of office), after which any remaining funds will automatically be transferred to a new "campaign funds escheatment subaccount" within the Hawaii election campaign fund. The Campaign Spending Commission will be required to make reasonable efforts to return these escheated funds to the original campaign contributors, with any funds not successfully returned lapsing to the general election campaign fund after six months. The bill removes previous provisions that allowed candidates to keep campaign funds for future elections and creates a more transparent and time-limited approach to managing campaign finances, ensuring that leftover campaign contributions are either used, returned to donors, or ultimately redirected to support publicly financed campaigns.

Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1593&year=2026