Big Island Democratic Rep. Jerry Chang says an ethics complaint filed by the House's top Republican was "made in bad faith."

House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan filed the complaint May 15, alleging that Chang would have reaped financial rewards from a bill he introduced this session to provide $50 million in tax credits to investors in a new motor sports complex on O'ahu.

In a letter to the state Ethics Commission, Chang said, "Nothing could be further from the truth and the Minority Leader has provided no facts to substantiate that allegation."

When a Senate version of the bill went before the full House in April, Chang stood up before his colleagues and asked that the measure be "recommitted," effectively killing it.

Chang, D-2nd (Hilo), later explained that he had offered the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands a parcel of land he has a partial financial interest in on the Big Island as part of a swap for land owned by the department that was targeted for the new racetrack.

He acknowledged that if the department had said it wanted the Big Island land, then he and his partner would have negotiated the purchase in exchange for the racetrack land. But nothing was put in writing and no prices had yet been discussed, Chang said.

The House's code of conduct discourages lawmakers from using their positions to advance a private interest.

The county assessed the Big Island plot at about $9 million in 2005. Chang said he owns a 25 percent interest in the land.

Finnegan, R-32nd (Waimalu, aliamanu, Airport), filed the complaint with the Ethics Commission after her unsuccessful request to House Democratic leadership to appoint a special committee to investigate Chang's actions.