Handout-01-31-20 Corporation Counsel Numbered Memorandum 2020-01

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�R60Fyq HAWAII STATE ETHICS COMMISSION 7 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 970 (Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 (ethics@hawaiiethics.org 1 (808) 587-0460 1 Twitter: THE STATE ETHICS CODE - A QUICK GUIDE ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES FOR STATE OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES 1. Restrictions on Using State Resources for Political Campaigns The Fair Treatment law of the State Ethics Code, Hawaii Revised Statutes ("HRS") § 84-13, prohibits state legislators, state employees, and state board and commission members from using state resources for private business purposes, including political campaign purposes. This Includes the following: State Time: State officials and employees may not conduct campaign related business during state work • hours, or use state personnel to perform campaign tasks or activities during state work hours. Z State Position: State officials and employees may not use their official position to pressure others into • making campaign contributions, providing campaign assistance, or otherwise supporting a candidate. State Facilities: State officials and employees may not solicit campaign,donations or conduct campaign business on state premises, including state offices and meeting rooms. State employees may not post campaign signs in their state workplace. Additionally, state officials and employees may not allow candidates • to conduct "walk-throughs" of state agencies. State premises or facilities that are available for public use may generally be used for campaign activities on the same terms that apply to the general public (for example, renting a school cafeteria for a public meeting), though some facilities - like Washington Place - prohibit campaign activities altogether. �® State Equipment and Supplies: State officials and employees may not use state equipment (such as • telephones, copy machines, fax machines, computers, vehicles), or state supplies (such as copy paper, stamps, and other office supplies) for campaign -related tasks or activities. State Email Server: State officials and employees may not use their state email accounts to send ® campaign related emails, or respond to campaign emails received at a state account (other than to request that • the sender stop sending such emails). Political candidates should avoid sending campaign emails to any state email address. State Websites or Social Media Pages: State websites or official state social media pages cannot • contain campaign related materials, such as campaign logos or photos of people in campaign t -shirts. State websites may not contain links to campaign websites. State Newsletters: State newsletters cannot contain campaign materials, such as requests for donations • Nor the campaign's address/contact information. State Seal: The State Seal generally may not be used on any campaign materials, as it gives the impression • that the State of Hawaii is endorsing a particular political candidate. Use of the State Seal in any advertisement or in any manner likely to give the impression of official state approval is a misdemeanor' See HRS § 5-6. State Fund's: State funds may not be used to pay for campaign -related expenditures or activities, such • tickets to political fundraisers, campaign literature or signs, postage for campaign materials, food for campaign events, or travel made principally for a political campaign.