CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 82

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 1999

                            RE:   H.B. No. 72
                                  H.D. 2
                                  S.D. 1
                                  C.D. 1




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

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate
in H.B. No. 72, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

    "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to amend the campaign spending
law with respect to the voluntary expenditure limit and public
matching fund provisions.  Specifically the bill:

     (1)  Amends the definition of "qualifying contribution" to
          clarify that makers of such contributions cannot have
          contributed more than $100 during any matching payment
          period;

     (2)  Moves the deadline for filing affidavits of compliance
          to the date of filing nomination papers;


 
 
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     (3)  Clarifies that expenditure limits apply to each
          election;

     (4)  Changes the time period within which candidates who
          exceed spending limits must notify all contributors
          from the same day to thirty days;

     (5)  Amends the distribution procedure for the Hawaii
          Election Campaign Fund, if near depletion, to
          distribution by order in which the application was
          filed;

     (6)  Repeals a provision permitting a candidate to withdraw
          an affidavit of compliance with voluntary spending
          limits;

     (7)  Clarifies that the maximum amount of public matching
          funds available to any candidate is based on the
          maximum expenditure limit per election;

     (8)  Allows the minimum qualifying contributions for each
          election to be based on the total qualifying
          contributions to date instead of just those relating to
          the particular election (primary, general, or special)
          for which matching funds are sought;

     (9)  Changes the deadline for application for matching funds
          from sixty to thirty days after the general election;

     (10) Changes the time by which initial public fund checks
          must be issued from ten to twenty days after
          application;

     (11) Deletes a provision that a candidate who exceeds the
          expenditure limits by less than one percent need only
          return twenty-five percent of public funds;

     (12) Clarifies that all unspent public funds must be
          returned; and

     (13) Provides a provision that preserves the amendments made
          by this bill when the amendments made to Chapter 11,
          Hawaii Revised Statutes, are repealed and reenacted.

     Your Committee finds that the changes made to the elections
law by this bill will promote fairness in the campaign process,
more effective use of public matching funds for their intended
purpose, and encourage compliance with voluntary spending limits.


 
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     This bill has been amended by deleting the exemption for
certain fundraising costs from the voluntary campaign expenditure
limit.  In addition, language has been provided to clarify that a
candidate must qualify at each election for monies from the
public matching fund.

     Your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent
and purpose of H.B. No. 72, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein,
and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 72, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted,

MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE        MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE
           SENATE                              HOUSE
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
AVERY CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair           PAUL T. OSHIRO, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair     SCOTT K. SAIKI, Co-Chair
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
LES IHARA, JR., Member             ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Member
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   ______________________________
                                   EMILY AUWAE, Member