STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1126

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 442

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 442, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PERMANENT ABSENTEE BALLOTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Specify that the forwarding address for voters with permanent absentee voter status shall be the mailing address contained in the voter's registration record; and

     (2)  Require that voters seeking to have permanent absentee ballots forwarded to another address, within the county, reapply for an absentee ballot.

The Office of Elections; Office of the City Clerk, City and County of Honolulu; Office of the County Clerk, County of Kauai; Office of the County Clerk, County of Hawaii; Office of the County Clerk, County of Maui; and League of Women Voters testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that the forwarding address for voters with permanent absentee voter status shall be the in-state mailing address contained in the voter's registration record.  Voters seeking to have permanent absentee ballots forwarded to another address must reapply for an absentee ballot; and

     (2)  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. 442, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 442, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair