STAND. COM. REP. NO.  804

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 511

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 511 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LOBBYISTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify and enhance consistency in the administration and enforcement of Hawaii’s lobbying laws by amending the laws governing lobbyists including:

     (1)  Amending the definition of "expenditure" to include the expense of preparing for a hearing before the Legislature or administrative agency;

     (2)  Amending the definition of "lobbyist" to specify types of activities and amounts of expenditures that qualify as lobbying;

     (3)  Amending the definition of "lobbying" to exclude the preparation and submission of a grant application by a representative of a nonprofit organization;

     (4)  Allowing a person who had employed or contracted with a lobbyist to file a notice of termination;

     (5)  Amending the requirements for submitting lobbyist reports for the periods covered by special sessions of the Legislature; and

     (6)  Requiring the State Ethics Commission to post on the Internet the lobbyists' registration statements within a reasonable time after filing and to maintain the posting for at least four years.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Common Cause Hawaii, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, and an individual testified in support of the measure.  Catholic Charities Hawaii provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that certain expenses for intrastate travel costs are excluded from the definition of "expenditure," but the exclusion does not apply to travel costs of legislators, board members, commission members, or other employees of the State;

     (2)  Specifying that expenses incurred by nonprofit organizations to prepare and submit a grant application are excluded from the definition of "expenditure";

     (3)  Specifying that lobbying by employees of a nonprofit organization of fewer than ten hours a month for a grant application is excluded from the definition of "lobbyist"; and

     (4)  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 H.B. No. 511, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 511, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SCOTT Y. NISHIMOTO, Chair