Hawaii Advances Bill Targeting Corporate Election Spending, Sparking Debate: ‘The Whole Country Needs More of This’

A Hawaii bill, SB 2471, which could limit how corporations spend money in elections, is gaining attention online, with reactions quickly split over what it could mean nationwide. Lawmakers have until May 8 to pass it before the session closes, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

The legislation responds to a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations and outside groups to spend without limit on political campaigns, according to Aloha State Daily. SB 2471 does not directly challenge that ruling. Instead, it narrows the legal powers Hawaii grants to corporations, removing election spending from that list entirely, according to KHON2.

Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole told KHON2 that if the bill passes, it would be the first of its kind in the nation. The bill advanced through both chambers with broad bipartisan backing, according to the Center for American Progress. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign the bill if it holds up to legal scrutiny, according to the Center for American Progress.

Hawaii Residents Sound Off on the Bill

Online reaction was swift. “The whole country needs more of this,” one user wrote.
Others agreed, arguing corporations “aren’t people.”

Critics pushed back, with one saying the ruling already protects corporate free speech, while others called the bill unnecessary.

One user called Citizens United outright damaging, writing that “too many people don’t understand how damaging Citizens United is to our country.”

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Not all responses were supportive. Some users argued the bill misreads the ruling, with one writing that Citizens United “says corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals.” Others felt the approach was unnecessary, with some users saying Congress “could pass more comprehensive disclosure laws any time it wants.”

Hawaii’s attorney general has warned the measure could face legal challenges, but with similar proposals emerging in other states, the final vote could serve as a key test for how far states can go in limiting corporate political spending.