CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 13

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 2000

                            RE:   H.B. No. 1984
                                  H.D. 1
                                  S.D. 2
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
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. 1984, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, 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 modify statutory provisions
concerning campaign contributions.

     Your Committee on Conference finds it appropriate to provide
that contribution limits in section 11-204(a), Hawaii Revised
Statutes (HRS), are unaffected by factors causing the term of
office to be shorter than usual, to resolve uncertainty about
limits for candidates seeking nomination and election to state
senate offices after the reapportionment in 2001 results in some
senators being elected to serve for two years, and others for
four.


 
 
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     Your Committee on Conference further finds it necessary to
clarify a phrase in section 11-204(a), HRS, to which language was
added by two separate measures enacted in 1999.  Specifically,
between the words "person" and "or" in the phrase "No person or
any other entity shall make contributions to:", Act 96 added the
words "other than a candidate for the candidate's own campaign,"
and Act 187 added "political party, political committees
established and maintained by a national political party."  Your
Committee on Conference finds that the definition of
"contributions" in section 11-191, HRS, permits a candidate to
contribute to the candidate's own campaign, and that the term
"entity" encompasses national political parties and committees.
Accordingly, your Committee on Conference returned the text to
the language as it existed prior to 1999. 

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

     (1) Deleting the words "other than a candidate for the
         candidate's own campaign, political party, political
         committees established and maintained by a national
         political party" from section 11-204(a), HRS;

     (2) Retaining, rather than reducing, existing contribution
         limits for candidates for elective office;

     (3) Reducing from eight to four years the time within which
         inactive candidates or committees must return residual
         private contributions to donors, if known, pursuant to
         section 11-214(a), HRS; and

     (4) Providing for this measure to take effect on approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your
Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your
Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1984, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 1984, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the managers:

  ON THE PART OF THE SENATE          ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair        ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Co-Chair

 
                            CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 13
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______________________________     ______________________________
MATT MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair           BOB NAKASONE, Co-Chair




______________________________
RANDY IWASE, Co-Chair