Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 373 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to permit tenants the reasonable exercise of their right to political speech, by limiting the requirements and restrictions that a landlord may impose on political signs placed on the property occupied by the tenant.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that there have been instances where persons leasing or renting property and wanting to support a political candidate have been prohibited from doing so by their landlords or landowners. Your Committee believes that a citizen's right to exercise political speech must be protected as long as it does not unreasonably interfere with the landowner's ability to use the property.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 373, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 373, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.