2008-08-11_Reminder_on_Campaign_Restrictions_for_all_County_Officers_and_Employees

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Use of E-Mail for Campaign Purposes Page 2 of 2 (4) Soliciting, selling, or otherwise engaging in a substantial financial transaction with a subordinate or a person or business whom the legislator or employee inspects or supervises in the legislator's or employee's official capacity. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a legislator from introducing bills or resolutions, serving on committees or making statements or taking action in the exercise of the legislator's legislative functions. Every legislator shall file a full and complete public disclosure of the interest or transaction which the legislator believes may be affected by legislative action. HRS section 84-13 prohibits state employees and legislators from using their state positions to give themselves or anyone else any unwarranted benefit or preferential treatment. HRS subsection 84-13(3) prohibits state employees and legislators from using any state time, equipment, or facilities for private business purposes. For example, state employees may not use the state telephone, state fax machine, state computers, or the state internal mail system for private business purposes. For purposes of this section, the State Ethics Commission has determined that campaigning for state office is a private business activity, since candidates who win elections are generally compensated in their new employment. Further, their campaign organizations would generally be considered private businesses, as the term business is defined in the State Ethics Code. In any event, HRS section 84-13 bars preferential treatment, and thus state resources must be used for state purposes and not unfairly to promote one candidate over another. Thus, e-mail accounts that are provided by the State and supported by the State may not be used for political campaigning. On behalf of the State Ethics Commission, I would like to ask you to circulate this memorandum or otherwise inform the state employees and officials in your department that the use of a state e-mail account for political campaigning violates the State Ethics Code. If there are questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 587-0460. On behalf of the State Ethics Commission, I would like to thank you for your assistance in this matter. http://www.hawaii.gov/ethics/noindex/emailuse.htm 10/22/2007