HR 8: URGING THE Department of the ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPEDITE THE STATE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGED ACCEPTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $35,000 BY A STATE LEGISLATOR IN JANUARY 2022.

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE Department of the ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPEDITE THE STATE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGED ACCEPTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $35,000 BY A STATE LEGISLATOR IN JANUARY 2022.

     WHEREAS, in 2022, former State Representative Ty J. K. Cullen and former State Senator J. Kalani English each pleaded guilty in federal court to honest services wire fraud for accepting bribes in exchange for official legislative acts; and

     WHEREAS, unredacted federal court filings submitted in support of Cullen's reduced sentence describe a January 20, 2022, meeting in which Cullen, the subject of an investigation, and an influential state legislator were present, and Cullen recorded the subject providing the influential legislator with approximately $35,000 purportedly intended for an existing campaign; and

     WHEREAS, the discovery of this transaction has prompted significant public demand for a state investigation into the identity of the legislator involved, and state legislative leadership has strongly urged that the matter be formally reviewed to ensure accountability and transparency; and

     WHEREAS, several members of the House of Representatives reached out to the Department of the Attorney General on multiple occasions to request that the State initiate an investigation into these allegations; and

     WHEREAS, on November 7, 2025, leadership of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Department of the Attorney General requesting clarification on the status of any investigation; and

     WHEREAS, on January 7, 2026, the twenty-three members of the House of Representatives who were serving in office in January 2022 released the following signed statement "[t]he House condemns any acceptance of campaign funds without reporting those funds to the Campaign Spending Commission.  In response to the petition to 'Restore Public Trust – Investigate the Unknown Hawaiʻi Legislator', the twenty-three currently serving House members who held office in 2022 publicly affirm that they are not the lawmaker referenced in the United States Attorney's pleading and that they have no knowledge of the identity of said lawmaker."; and

     WHEREAS, on January 9, 2026, the Senate President released the following statement "[b]ased upon the January 7, 2026 press release issued by Attorney General Anne Lopez, who stated that the State of Hawaiʻi will not initiate any investigation regarding the alleged $35,000 campaign contribution while the matter is still within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice and that 'any parallel state investigation into this matter conducted by any state governmental entity does not serve the interests of justice until the federal investigation has concluded,' the Hawaiʻi State Senate will await notice from the Department of the Attorney General with regard to its review of the federal investigation and its pending course of action.  Additionally, all current sitting Senators have been asked as to whether they received the alleged funds and/or if they know any legislator who received the alleged funds.  All majority Senate members have stated that they did not receive the alleged funds and do not know any legislator who received the alleged funds.  None of the minority members responded to my inquiry."; and

     WHEREAS, on January 16, 2026, federal authorities informed state officials that they would provide the Attorney General with evidence concerning the alleged incident, thereby creating a clear path for the Attorney General to proceed with a state investigation without jeopardizing the ongoing federal investigation; and

     WHEREAS, on January 20, 2026, Governor Josh Green and Attorney General Anne Lopez jointly determined that initiating a state investigation into this matter serves the public interest; and

     WHEREAS, the Attorney General assigned the Special Investigation and Prosecution Division to lead the investigation pursuant to section 28-2.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

     WHEREAS, the public deserves timely clarity regarding the circumstances of the alleged $35,000 payment that occurred four years ago, making prompt action essential; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of the Attorney General is urged to prioritize and expedite the state investigation into the alleged acceptance of approximately $35,000 by a state legislator in January 2022; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to confirm and notify the Legislature in writing as soon as possible that the legislator who allegedly accepted the $35,000 is not a current member of the Thirty-Third Legislature; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to notify the Legislature upon completion of the investigation and, to the extent allowable, provide a summary of findings for public release; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Attorney General.

Report Title: 

Attorney General; State Investigation; State Legislator