For Immediate Release:
Committee to meet tomorrow on lobbyist regulations and boards and commissions
WAILUKU, Hawaiʻi (Oct. 19, 2026)—The Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. to discuss lobbyist regulations and the Cost of Government Commission’s recommendations for boards and commissions, Maui County Councilmember Kauanoe Batangan announced today.
Batangan said the meeting is a continuation of the committee’s legislative work to amend Bill 100 (2026), on lobbyist regulations and to receive an update under Resolution 24-168, which urged the Cost of Government Commission to conduct a study and provide recommendations for efficiency in boards and commissions. The recommendations were requested to increase fiscal responsibility and transparency in county processes, he said.
“Ongoing investigations in the county have prompted me to focus on making progress in legislation that has been reviewed over the past few months,” said Batangan, who chairs the committee. “Moving forward, additional legislative framework will need to be proposed for more accountability in handling sensitive legal matters.”
He said a part of the committee’s ongoing legislative work includes overseeing the wrongful-termination lawsuit filed by former county official Leo Caires. In a correspondence sent to the attorney general, he requested that their department urgently respond to questions relating to the allegations made in the lawsuit.
Other legislation discussed in the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee include Bill 55 (2025), on Code of Ethics violations and penalties and Bill 99 (2026), to establish prohibitions concerning nepotism.
“The committee is also drafting new legislation requiring additional financial disclosure requirements to provide greater transparency into financial interests,” Batangan said. “Enacting good-governance bills is the first step to strengthening accountability and establishing safeguards to help prevent fraud and abuse in the future.”
Tomorrow’s meeting will be held online via Microsoft Teams, with an in-person component at the Council Chamber in Kalana o Maui, 200 S. High St. The meeting will be livestreamed on Akakū Channel 53, at MauiCounty.us and on the council’s Facebook page.
In-person, online and phone testimony is welcome at all meetings. Testimony instructions are on the meeting agendas, available at mauicounty.us/agendas.
For more information, contact committee staff at great.committee@mauicounty.us or call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7664.
Press release by:
Kauanoe Batangan, Chair
Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee
media@mauicounty.us
