Committee amends county code to define immediate-family hiring restrictions, forwards nepotism bill

The Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs amended Bill 21—local legislation to strengthen nepotism restrictions—and voted to forward the measure to the full Council with a favorable recommendation.

Councilmember Kimball, who introduced the amendment, said the Board of Ethics recommended adopting language consistent with Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) that defines familial relationships tied to nepotism and fair hiring. The committee voted to amend the draft ordinance to incorporate HRS-aligned definitions, with an edit suggested by the Board of Ethics to replace a call‑out of Native Hawaiian customary adoption language with a broader reference to “informal adoptive practices.”

Office of the County Auditor Tyler Benner explained the local context: prior internal reviews and audits raised concerns about hiring practices, and a 2024 investigation found a supervisor failed to disclose a family relationship with a candidate and oversaw a selection process that left a single relative as the only candidate to advance to interview. The auditor’s office argued the county should adopt a clear local policy aligned with state law to preserve fairness and public trust.

Councilmembers emphasized the committee’s ability to be more restrictive than state law if desired. Kimball and others said the committee sought to balance the state definition with county-specific clarifications. The amendment was adopted at committee; the measure will proceed to the full Council for first-reading action.

Votes at committee: bill amended and forwarded to full Council with a favorable recommendation, 9–0.