STAND. COM. REP. NO. 775

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 138

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 S.B. No. 138 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REPORTS OF CANDIDATE COMMITTEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to add a campaign spending report filing deadline of October 1st during a general election year for candidates and candidate committees.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission and League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that current, accurate information about candidate spending is important to ensuring a well-informed electorate. Your Committee further finds that currently, after the final primary report that is due twenty days after the primary election, a voter will not be able to access more current information about a candidate's spending until the filing of the preliminary general report due ten days before the general election. Your Committee additionally finds that, because absentee ballots are mailed to voters approximately twenty-one days before a general election, voters who choose to vote by mail may not have access to current campaign finance information at the time that they cast their vote. This bill will add a campaign spending report filing deadline at the beginning of October to ensure that voters receive current candidate spending information before they receive their absentee ballots.

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. 138 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair