STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2821

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 2829
                                        H.D. 2
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No.
2829, H.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ELECTIONS APPOINTMENT AND
     REVIEW PANEL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to:

     (1)  Appropriate an unspecified amount for the Elections
          Appointment and Review Panel to carry out its
          responsibilities under section 11-2.7, Hawaii Revised
          Statutes; and

     (2)  Specify that the Panel may remove the Chief Election
          Officer only for good cause.

     Your Committee finds that the Panel was given significant
additional duties by Act 141, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999, but
was not given any additional funding to carry out those duties.
Specifically, the Panel is now required to establish performance
standards for the operation of elections and the chief election
officer; to review the operation of elections and performance of
the chief election officer under those standards and conduct
biennial evaluations; to make recommendations to the chief
election officer and the legislature based on those evaluations;
and to establish policies for administration of an election

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2821
                                   Page 2


observer program.  Previously, the Panel was only responsible for
selecting and appointing the chief election officer.

     Your Committee earlier expressed concerns about the Panel's
plan to spend $5,000 on public relations.  Your Committee
continues to await a satisfactory explanation of this item.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Attorney General and by the Panel.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
bill by:

     (1)  Adding a provision extending by twenty days the
          deadline for the Panel to report to the legislature the
          findings and recommendations from its biennial review
          of elections operations and the performance of the
          chief election officer; and

     (2)  Making a technical, non-substantive change for the
          purpose of clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2829, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2829, H.D.
2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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