Hawaii Administrative Rules
Title 21 - LEGISLATIVE AGENCIES
Chapter 7 - HAWAII STATE ETHICS COMMISSION GIFTS AND FAIR TREATMENT
Section 21-7-3 - Acceptable items
Universal Citation: HI Admin Rules 21-7-3
Current through February, 2024
(a) The following items generally may be accepted and need not be reported on a gifts disclosure statement:
(1) A lei, other than a money lei, offered in
connection with a celebration, commemoration, or event;
(2) Discounts, services, or other benefits
offered to the public at large. This may include discounts, services, or other
benefits offered to government employees as a group, provided that the same
discounts, services, or other benefits are offered on similar terms to other
large groups of employees;
(3) Bona
fide competitively awarded grants or scholarships;
(4) Promotional items having no resale value,
such as branded pens, calendars, hats, or tote bags;
(5) Rewards or prizes given to competitors in
contests or events, including random drawings, offered to the public or a segment
thereof, where the legislator or employee receiving the reward or prize docs not
attend the contest or event in an official capacity, unless a reasonable person
would conclude that the reward or prize was offered to the legislator or employee
because of the legislator's or employee's state position;
(6) A gift provided by any other state, a
political subdivision of any other state, or the United States, provided that the
gift serves a bona fide state purpose and that tangible and durable items of more
than nominal value, such as artwork or jewelry, shall belong to the State rather
than the individual recipient;
(7)
Modestly priced awards, plaques, and other ceremonial items of the type
customarily bestowed in connection with bona fide ceremonies and otherwise
reasonable under the circumstances;
(8) Gifts received by a spouse or dependent
child of the legislator or employee solely because of the spouse's or child's own
employment, volunteer activities, or personal relationships, where a reasonable
person would not believe that the gift was intended to influence or reward the
legislator or employee; and
(9) An
unsolicited gift of nominal value given as a token of appreciation to a teacher,
medical professional, or similar kind of service provider, such as a holiday gift
given to a teacher by a student or guardian, where the gift is offered by an
individual in the individual's personal capacity, and the gift is given under
circumstances in which no reasonable person would conclude that the gift was
given to influence the recipient's state duties with respect to the
offeror.
(b) Gifts given under circumstances in which no reasonable person would conclude that the gift was being given to influence or reward the recipient for the performance or nonperformance of the recipient's state duties may generally be accepted, but may be reportable pursuant to section 84-11.5, HRS.
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