STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2034

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2209

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2209 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO REQUIRE THE JUDICIAL SELECTION COMMISSION TO DISCLOSE THE NAMES OF AND CERTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING ACTIVE NOMINEES AND APPLICANTS TO FILL JUSTICE AND JUDGE VACANCIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to propose a constitutional amendment to require the Judicial Selection Commission to disclose the names of and certain information regarding active nominees and applicants to fill justice and judge vacancies.

     Your Committee did not receive any written testimony regarding this measure.

     Your Committee finds that the Judicial Selection Commission recently amended its rules to share statistical information about its processes, including general information about the total number of applicants, the breakdown of applicants and nominees by gender, experience, or other attributes that may be of interest to the public, or information about trends, such as increases or decreases in the number of applicants.  This measure adopts these rule changes by amending the state constitution to explicitly require the disclosure of the names of and certain statistical information regarding active nominees and applicants, thereby increasing the transparency of the Commission's activities to the extent permitted by law.

     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. 2209 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 Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair