STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3028

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2146

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2146 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to specify that the deadline for a candidate committee to submit a preliminary primary report is ten calendar days before a primary, initial special, or initial nonpartisan election and the deadline for a preliminary general report is ten calendar days before a general, subsequent special, or subsequent nonpartisan election.

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

Your Committee finds that under existing law, candidate committees must submit preliminary primary reports and preliminary general reports to the Campaign Spending Commission on time or face a fine; however, the statute is unclear as to which deadlines such fines apply. This measure clarifies that the increased fine for late-filing of preliminary primary and preliminary general reports only applies to reports that are due ten days before the primary or general election.

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. 2146 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