STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 657-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2455

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2455 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to set forth specific procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of a United States Senator. When a vacancy occurs that cannot be immediately filled at the following general election, this bill requires:

(1) The Governor to immediately notify the chair of the political party that the vacating Senator belonged to;

(2) The chair to call a meeting of the state central committee of that party which must be held within 20 days after the vacancy occurs;

(3) The central committee to select a minimum of three persons qualified to fill the vacancy; these names are then submitted to the Governor; and

(4) The Governor to make a temporary appointment from these names within 5 days.

Currently, when such a vacancy occurs, the law only requires that the Governor's temporary appointee be a registered member of the same political party as the vacating Senator.

The Oahu County Committee of the Hawaii Democratic Party, Americans for Democratic Action/Hawaii Chapter, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting references to the state central committee and instead requiring the chair of the political party to submit the names of nominees to the Governor; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, style, and consistency.

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. 2455, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2455, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

		____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Chair