Lawmakers and the Ethics Commission want the full List

About how they want the full list from UH, Hawaii Ethics Commission Executive Director Dan Mollway said:
"We just thought there was enough there that we should take a look, get the list, find out who went and find out if it was justified." (HA)

HA Note: "State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, state Rep. Mark Takai and UH Regent Kitty Lagareta said the university should release an unedited list of the more than 550 people who attended the Jan. 1 bowl game in New Orleans, which cost state taxpayers an estimated $2 million. Separately, the Ethics Commission has formally requested the entire list from the university to see if any state employees received "unwarranted advantages or special treatments," said Dan Mollway, the commission's executive director."

HA Note: "The Advertiser previously reported that UH Associate Athletic Director Carl Clapp told a group of 20 to 25 UH staffers they had the option of keeping their names off the list by reimbursing the school. University spokesman Gregg Takayama said yesterday school officials are cooperating with the Ethics Commission. He said UH will turn over all the names of people who attended the Sugar Bowl at university expense. Takayama added that the school wants to release all the names to the public but needs approval from its attorneys to do so."

About how UH wants to release the full list, UH spokesman Gregg Takayama said:
"We would like to see it released publicly. It's a matter of if and when our lawyers approve it." (HA)

HA Note: "Mollway said he was satisfied with UH's rationale for paying for spouses' travel expenses. But he said UH officials told him that the school would not pay for the travel costs of children."

About how he thought that UH was doing things the travel plans properly, with UH not paying for children to travel to the Sugar Bowl, Mollway said:
"It all seemed above board and we were very satisfied that everything was going to be done carefully. What happened recently is that there have been some questions about who went or whether it was for a legitimate state purpose." (HA)

HA Note: "Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), said she sees no legal reason the university can withhold the records since it involves state money. She said UH is still bound to disclose the names of people who repaid the university since the issue still involves the use of state funds because the school would essentially be providing a loan."

About why the full list needs to be disclosed, Sen. Hanabusa said:
"After all, it's university funds or university property in some form or another. If it's considered to be a perk or bonus, they have to disclose it. If it's pure favoritism or a discretionary or arbitrary (award), people are entitled to an explanation." (HA)

HA Note: "Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City), predicted that the state courts will order the university to release the documents. Since state taxpayer money was used to pay for school employees and their family to fly free to the Sugar Bowl, the issue clearly involves public records, he said."

Rep. Takai said that having a written travel policy that would have been subject to public comment and regents' approval would have helped avoid the:
"questions and terrible decision-making that followed the Warriors being invited to the Sugar Bowl. It was as if they were creating policy on the fly. I have said publicly many times that I believe that UH erred in sending some UH employees, and the spouses and children of workers." (HA)

HA Note: "During a UH Board of Regents meeting last week, Lagareta urged UH administrators to disclose the names in the UH travel party, saying the problem has become a bigger headache for the university than it is worth."

UH Regent Kitty Lagareta said that UH's reputation for transparency has been undercut by its actions regarding:
"the disclosure of this frankly stupid list. It's not even who went and who didn't go. It's why can't we be open about it? It doesn't make sense." (HA)