STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2059

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2676
                                        




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Environment, to which was
referred S.B. No. 2676 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES OF STATE
     LEGISLATORS AND STATE EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to add a new section to the
State Ethics Code that specifically addresses the issue of
prohibited campaign activities by state legislators and state
employees.

     Testimony in favor of the measure was received from the
Hawaii State Ethics Commission and Common Cause Hawaii.

     State law currently prohibits the use of state time,
equipment, and facilities for private business purposes.
Although the Ethics Commission has interpreted "private business"
to include political campaigning, abuses continue.  Your
Committee finds this measure is needed to clarify the ethics
restrictions on campaign activities, to emphasize the importance
of these restrictions, and to provide for fair elections by
barring state resources from being used to unfairly assist a
candidate.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Environment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2059
                                   Page 2


of S.B. No. 2676 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and
be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Labor and
                                   Environment,



                                   ______________________________
                                   BOB NAKATA, Chair

 
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