Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 168, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a temporary elections review task force to comprehensively review, evaluate, and recommend changes to Hawaii's election laws to ensure the integrity and certainty of the State's electoral process.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, Common Cause Hawaii, Advocates for Consumer Rights, and a concerned citizen.

Your Committee finds that the events in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election underscore the importance of each state having in place solid election laws, including contest and recount procedures.

Therefore, your Committee supports this measure, which creates a temporary task force to consider the adequacy of Hawaii's election laws and whether amendments are desirable, particularly with regard to contest and recount procedures.

Based on testimony submitted by the Office of Elections, your Committee amended this measure to ensure that the members of the task force represent all areas of the State, and to authorize the task force to employ private legal counsel and staff as necessary. Your Committee also amended this measure to appropriate $100,000 to cover the task force's activities, including reimbursement of member's expenses, employment of legal counsel and staff, and the costs associated with conducting meetings statewide.

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. 168, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 168, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.