STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1521-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2682

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2682, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that conflicts of interest of state board, commission, and agency members are more easily identified by making the financial disclosure statements of certain board, commission, and agency members available for public inspection and duplication.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission; League of Women Voters of Hawaii; Common Cause Hawaii; Ho'okipa Network – Kauai; Hawaii Farmers Union United, Kona Chapter; Malu 'Aina; The Aurora Foundation; and a plethora of concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation testified in opposition to this bill.  The Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board, a member of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, and two concerned individuals provided comments.   

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that those individuals subject to public disclosure that are required to disclose the financial interests of their spouse and dependent children shall disclose the name and not the address, of any qualifying source of income; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2682, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2682, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair