Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1255 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate unspecified amounts from the general fund to the Office of Elections to meet the five per cent matching fund requirement of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, the Hawaii Pro Democracy Initiative, and the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Your Committee finds that on October 28, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Help American Vote Act of 2002. The Act provides federal funding to each State to improve the administration of elections. Each qualifying state will receive .5% of the aggregate amount appropriated by Congress. It is estimated that Hawaii's share may be $20 million plus additional funds based on the proportion of Hawaii's voting age population to the population of the State.

Your Committee notes that the federal Act also requires that states develop a self-certifying state plan and maintain a level of funding for state election activities at not less than the amount expended for the period ending November 2000 to qualify for federal funds.

Your Committee amended the bill by inserting $250,000 into the appropriation section to meet Hawaii's matching funds requirement.

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. 1255, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1255, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.