STAND. COM. REP. NO. 480

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1215

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 1215 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION RELATED TO RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to propose a constitutional amendment to require candidates for the state Senate or House of Representatives to be a resident of the legislative district from which the person is a candidate for a period of not less than twelve consecutive months prior to the next succeeding general election.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from The League of Women Voters of Hawaii.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that a candidate for legislative office should possess adequate knowledge of the district the candidate seeks to represent.  Your Committee believes that requiring that the candidate reside in the district the candidate seeks to represent for at least twelve months prior to the general election would help facilitate an understanding of the concerns and interests of the district's constituency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1215 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair