STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1431

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 200

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Reform, to which was referred S.B. No. 200 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that the requirement to file a late contribution report prior to an election applies only to candidates who appear on a ballot and receive contributions in excess of $500.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Common Cause Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that exempting candidates who are not on the ballot of an election from the requirement to file the late contributions report is consistent with the requirements under section 11-334, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the filing of preliminary, final, and supplemental reports.

Your Committee notes that upon further review of this measure, requiring those candidates who do not appear on a ballot, yet receive contributions in excess of $500, to file a late contribution report prior to an election can also be a useful tool to address the concerns raised in the testimony before your Committee on S.B. No. 403, which exempted candidates who are either unsuccessful or elected to office in a primary election from the requirement to file certain preliminary general reports for the following general election.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Reform that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 200, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 200, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Reform,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair