STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1207-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2444

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2444, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the accuracy of voter registration by requiring:

     (1)  That documents or images containing driver's license and civil identification card information be provided electronically, by the Department of Transportation, to election officials and the statewide voter registration system; and

     (2)  The Office of Elections to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a multistate organization aimed at improving voting procedures using secure data-matching tools.

     This measure also provides funding for these initiatives.

The Office of Elections and Common Cause Hawaii testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Transportation testified in opposition to this measure.  The Office of the County Clerk Elections Division of the County of Kaua‘i and League of Women Voters provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee notes that testimony submitted by the Department of Transportation highlighted privacy concerns regarding the sharing of driver's license and civil identification card information without the license or cardholder's consent, including the potential for the sharing of such information in violation of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act under 18 United States Code section 2721, et seq.  Should your Committee on Finance deliberate further on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it further scrutinize these concerns.

     Additionally, your Committee notes that in the current fiscal climate, steps should be taken to explore all potential avenues of funding for various State initiatives.  One such avenue for the ERIC may be grants from Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit, non-governmental organization aimed at public opinion research, arts and culture, and the improvement of environmental, health, state, and consumer policy, whose recent election initiatives have included financial support for states moving to participate in the ERIC.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to upon its approval.

     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. 2444, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2444, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair