STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2705

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2898

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2898 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT BY NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to add a new section to the Hawaii Revised Statutes to allow member states to determine the winner of a presidential election by national popular vote.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from National Popular Vote; The Center for Voting and Democracy; and Capitol Consultants, LLC.

     The Office of Elections submitted comments on this measure.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would guarantee the presidency and vice presidency to the candidates that receive the most popular votes in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.  Your Committee further finds that there is support for the national popular vote both in Hawaii and throughout other jurisdictions.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2898, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2898, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair