Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin has introduced a resolution that, if adopted, would establish that Mayor Peter Carlisle‘s wife Judith was an official city delegate on trips to Japan and China last year.

It comes two weeks after the Honolulu Ethics Commission told Carlisle to repay the city $3,300 for the cost of his wife’s travel.

The resolution, introduced Wednesday, was “by request” — meaning it likely came from the administration. One of the solutions the Ethics Commission outlined in its advisory opinion was that the Council could clarify its acceptance of gifts last year.

Among the considerations weighed in the resolution is that “Recognized international protocol for some Asian countries is for the wifeof the head of the government to accompany the head of the governmentin travel for economic and cultural exchange.”

At his press conference after his State of the City address, Carlisle said he had been in touch with both Ethics Commission chief Chuck Totto and Gov. Neil Abercrombie, and had no intention of backing down just yet.