STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2002

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2032

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2032 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:

     (1)  Clarify the filing due dates of preliminary reports before certain types of elections; and

     (2)  Specify that a candidate and treasurer of the candidate committee are required to file a supplemental report on January 31 every year, regardless of whether it is an election or nonelection year.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission and Common Cause Hawaii.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that existing law regarding the filing due dates of preliminary, final, and supplemental reports may be confusing, especially to new political candidates.  This measure clarifies these important reporting deadlines to ensure better compliance with campaign expenditure reporting requirements.  Your Committee further finds that the current practice for candidates is to file supplemental reports on January 31 of every year; not only on January 31 after an election year.  This measure aligns the law with present practice.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     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. 2032, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2032, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair