STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 1413

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 299

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 299, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STANDARDS OF CONDUCT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to exempt elected officials from the requirement of filing multiple ethics disclosure forms during a calendar year, if the elected official has previously filed a disclosure statement.

A concerned individual testified in support of this measure. The Hawaii State Ethics Commission testified in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee finds that financial disclosure requirements are unnecessarily duplicative for incumbent candidates who are required to disclose more information than candidates who have not held public office.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying reporting requirements by defining "annual disclosure" and "candidate disclosure;"

(2) Clarifying that candidates who have previously filed an annual disclosure in the election year are not required to file a candidate disclosure unless there is a change in financial interests;

(3) Providing that confidential disclosures previously filed by a person become public records when that person becomes a candidate for state elective office;

(4) Adding savings and severability clauses;

(5) Adding the contents of H.B. No. 286 and H.B. No. 865, H.D. 2, that relate to standards of conduct by public officials. Both bills were heard earlier and passed by your Committee; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for consistency, clarity, and style.

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 S.B. No. 299, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 299, S.D. 1,

H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

		____________________________ ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair