STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1279

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1380

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1380, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Create a comprehensive public funding program for candidates for county elections beginning in 2022; and

(2) Appropriate funds to the Campaign Spending Commission.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Common Cause Hawaii, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals.

Your Committee finds that candidate public financing programs are voluntary programs in which public funds are provided to candidates who agree to limit their campaign spending. Your Committee further finds that the primary purposes of these programs is to reduce the role of large amounts of private money raised in political campaigns and the obligations that are or can appear to be associated with these contributions. This measure will establish a comprehensive program for candidate public financing in county elections.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing language that allowed candidates who win their elections to retain surplus public funds for the purposes of constituent communications;

(2) Removing the one percent surcharge on fines imposed on persons convicted of criminal offenses that was to be deposited into the Hawaii election campaign fund; and

(3) 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 that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1380, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1380, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair