Overview
- Hawaii’s governor signed the measure into law, with the statute taking effect on July 1, 2027.
- The law uses state corporate-charter rules to deny most corporations the power to spend on elections, with exceptions for newspaper editorials and company-run PACs that collect individual donations.
- The policy applies to for-profit firms, dark-money nonprofits that keep donors secret, unions, and chambers of commerce that operate in the state.
- Hawaii’s attorney general opposed the bill and legal experts expect immediate lawsuits that could test Citizens United and possibly reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
- The move follows a surge in outside spending and undisclosed money in U.S. elections, and organizers in Montana are pursuing a similar idea through a 2026 ballot measure.