STAND. COM. REP. 716
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 284 entitled:
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill, as received, is to prohibit the solicitation of campaign contributions on government property and prohibit contributions from government contractors.
The League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawaii Pro Democracy Initiative, and a concerned individual testified in support of the bill. The Campaign Spending Commission offered comments. A concerned individual testified in opposition to the bill.
Upon further consideration, your committee incorporated the subjects covered in H.B. No. 1352 except as noted below and further amended the bill by:
(1) Clarifying the definitions for "candidate's committee," "committee," "contributions," "noncandidate committee," "election period" and adding definitions for "corporation," "independent expenditure," "labor organization," and "separate segregated fund;"
(2) Revising the section on prohibition for contributions from government contractors by defining the types of contracts and scope of procurement activities as consistent with the Hawaii Procurement Code, chapter 103D; defining a government contractor as seeking or having a contract in excess of $25,000; prohibiting contributions for the period commencing with negotiations for a contract or notice of contract opportunities to ending twenty-four months after the completion or termination of the contract; prohibiting contributions from debarred or suspended businesses; and limiting an individual from making a contribution if the individual owns 25 percent or more of a company;
(3) Adding a provision to prevent administrative enforcement if a person is convicted of criminal activity for violations of the campaign spending laws;
(4) Adding an amendment to the registration provisions to exempt candidates seeking reelection for the same office in successive election periods;
(5) Specifying that campaign contributions may not be converted to personal use where the primary purpose of the expenditure is noncampaign related;
(6) Revising the campaign contribution limits to $2,000 per election period from persons to a candidate, $2,000 per election period from persons to a noncandidate committee, $5,000 per year from persons to a political party;
(7) Prohibiting contributions from corporations, labor organizations, member organizations, cooperatives, and corporations without stock in excess of $6,000 in the aggregate; except that such entities may establish and solicit contributions from their respective members or employees for separate segregated funds that may make contributions in the same manner as other persons; and
(8) Deleting provisions on public financing and voluntary spending limits, requirements for donors to report contributions in excess of $200, and the prohibition against receiving contributions on government property.
Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for style, consistency, and 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. 284, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 284, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,
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ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair |
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