Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 169 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish a public-funded elections pilot program for the City and County of Honolulu Council elections of 2002.

Supportive testimony was submitted by the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, the Hawaii Green Party, Hawaii Clean Elections, Hawaii Elections Project, Common Cause Hawaii, Advocates for Consumer Rights, and the Kokua Council. Testimony in opposition was submitted by the Campaign Spending Commission.

Your Committee finds that many of our citizens view the existing campaign finance system as being flawed. There is a perception that only the wealthy or persons with access to money are able to run competitive campaigns for elected office. This in turn may dissuade many of our best and brightest citizens from seeking public service regardless of whether they have a viable message or community appeal.

Your Committee has worked to address this issue by formulating a practical election scheme that will allow all viable candidates to run effective public campaigns for the council office they seek.

After careful consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 169, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 169, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.