HB 1475 Summary

• Requires state legislators, board of education members, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees, the governor, lieutenant governor, and executive department heads to complete live ethics training within 90 days of taking office and at least once every four years thereafter.

• Requires all other state employees to complete either live or online ethics training within 90 days of becoming an employee and at least once every four years thereafter.

• Establishes that the state ethics commission shall design and administer both live and online ethics training courses covering ethics laws, administrative rules, technical requirements, underlying principles, practical applications, and question-and-answer segments.

• Requires the state ethics commission to notify legislators and employees that ethics training is mandatory and authorizes notice through employing agencies; specifies that non-receipt of notice is not a defense to ethics violations.

• Provides a 12-month transition period for current state legislators and employees to complete required training following the effective date (January 1, 2023), with exemption for those who completed training within the three years prior to the effective date.