STAND. COM. REP. NO. 758

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1544

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1544 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTER REGISTRATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a system for automatic voter registration in the State.

The Office of Elections, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, AVR Hawaii, Democratic Party of Hawaii, We Are One, Inc., and many concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of Human Services, Honolulu County Republican Party, and a few concerned individuals opposed this measure. The Department of Taxation, Department of the Attorney General, Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO, and Common Cause Hawaii offered comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the contents of this measure as received by your Committee and substituting a task force to examine automatic voter registration in the State; and

(2) Changing its effective date to January 28, 2081, to encourage further discussion on this measure.

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. 1544, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1544, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair