STAND. COM. REP. NO. 182

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 30

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 30 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAMPAIGN SPENDING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make various amendments to the campaign finance laws.  Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Requires candidates to file the affidavits stating voluntary agreement to abide by spending limits at the time nomination papers are filed; and

     (2)  Increases the prosecuting attorney's voluntary campaign expenditure limit.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission and two private individuals.

     Your Committee finds that this measure makes a couple of housekeeping amendments to the campaign finance laws.  This measure requires candidates to file affidavits to voluntarily abide by statutory expenditure limitations no later than the deadline to file nomination papers.  This proposed amendment will allow Campaign Spending Commission staff to better implement the partial financing program and achieve compliance with state election laws.

     Furthermore, this measure corrects a statutory deletion that resulted in placing the prosecuting attorney in a lower expenditure category.  The commission testified that placing the prosecuting attorney in a lower expenditure seemed unreasonable given the fact that the prosecuting attorney is a county-wide office.  The proposed amendment increases the campaign expenditure amount of a publicly financed prosecuting attorney candidate by placing the prosecuting attorney under the same category as state senators, state representatives, and county council members participating in the partial public financing program.

     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. 30 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair