STAND. COM. REP. NO.  896-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2181

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2181 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VACANCIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the schedule for filing candidate nomination papers and scheduling an election to fill a vacancy on the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to ensure that ballots are finalized early enough for ballots to be printed and mailed to uniformed and overseas voters no later than forty-five days prior to the election as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, P.L. 111-84.  The measure also amends the period when the Board of Trustees or the Governor can make an appointment to fill the vacancy to account for the new federal election requirement.

The Office of Elections, the Elections Division of the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Kauai, and the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Maui supported the measure.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs offered comments on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2181 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair