STAND. COM. REP. NO. 99

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 140

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 H.B. No. 140 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that increased fines may be assessed to a candidate committee or noncandidate committee if the candidate committee or noncandidate committee fail to timely file the preliminary primary report or preliminary general report that is due ten days before a primary or general election.

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

Your Committee finds that this measure will improve the timely filing of reports by candidate committees and noncandidate committees to the Campaign Spending Commission, which is necessary for transparency and accountability in the election system.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the number of days that a candidate committee or noncandidate committee must file its preliminary primary report or preliminary general report to the Campaign Spending Commission before a primary or general election to an unspecified number of days;

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

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, should it deliberate on this measure, to look at whether requiring a candidate committee or noncandidate committee to file its preliminary primary or preliminary general report to the Campaign Spending Commission ten days before a primary or general election is too aggressive and as such may not be practical.

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 H.B. No. 140, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 140, 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