The State Ethics Commission has been pushing for passage of a nepotism law to prevent state employees from appointing or hiring close relatives to public jobs, but the most recent bill went nowhere at the Legislature.

"The reason we introduced it is because the Hawaii state ethics code doesn’t contain a nepotism law," said Susan Yoza, interim executive director of the commission. "That generally is a standard provision you would find in an ethics code. We feel that is a provision that should be in the law to promote public confidence in government."

While Hawaii does not have a law specifically addressing nepotism, two other laws — on fair treatment and on conflict of interest — can be applied in certain cases. Charter school staff, like other public employees, are subject to the state ethics code. The fair treatment law prohibits state employees from giving themselves or anyone else unwarranted benefits or preferential treatment.

"If a state employee hires a relative and does this in an unfair manner, gives preferential treatment to a relative, then it would be a violation of that law," Yoza said.

The conflict of interest law says state employees cannot take discretionary state action that affects their own financial interests or those of their spouse or dependent child.

The bill promoted by the Ethics Commission would have prohibited state employees from hiring relatives including parents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces.