Hawaii House speaker favors tough penalties to deter bribery
By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — The speaker of Hawaii’s House of Representatives says he supports stronger ethics laws and penalties to prevent bribery at the Legislature. Speaker Scott Saiki spoke after federal prosecutors this week alleged two former lawmakers took bribes in return for shaping legislation while in office. Saiki says he and his colleagues are shocked by the news and he doesn’t believe bribery is widespread among lawmakers. Lawyers for former state Rep. Ty Cullen and former Senate Majority Leader Sen. J. Kalani English say they take responsibility for their actions and will plead guilty next week. Cullen resigned shortly before prosecutors announced the charges. English retired last May.
