STAND. COM. REP. NO. 165

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 131
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Legislative Management, to which was
referred H.B. No. 131 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III,
     SECTION 6, OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION, TO CHANGE THE
     ELIGIBILITY TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE OR HOUSE OF
     REPRESENTATIVES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to propose a constitutional
amendment to require that a candidate for state legislative
office must be a qualified voter and resident in the district in
which the candidate seeks to represent before filing nomination
papers for the primary election.

     The Office of Elections, Common Cause Hawaii, and the League
of Women Voters of Hawaii submitted testimony in support of this
bill.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would improve public
confidence in the election process by reducing the potential for
candidates to seek office in particular districts based on their
chances of success.  This measure would also increase the
likelihood that candidates will be more knowledgeable and
interested in the district they seek to represent because they
have actually lived in the community.

     While supporting this bill, the Office of Elections
suggested amending the bill to ensure that a state legislator

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 165
                                 Page 2

 
will not be disqualified for the remainder of the legislator's
term if reapportioned out of the legislator's district.

     Your Committee agrees with this recommendation and has
amended this measure accordingly.  Other technical,
nonsubstantive amendments have been made for purposes of style
and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Legislative Management that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 131, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 131, H.D.
1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian
Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Legislative
                                   Management,



                                   ______________________________
                                   EZRA KANOHO, Chair