STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1749

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 369

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 369 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide that excess contributions of more than $100 in cash, in the aggregate, from any single contributor during an election period to a candidate, candidate committee, or noncandidate committee shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund if not returned to the contributor within thirty days of receipt.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission.

Your Committee finds that existing state election law requires, in certain circumstances, the return of an excess cash contribution to the contributor within thirty days of receipt of the excess contribution, with a requirement that the excess escheats to the Hawaii election campaign fund if the return is not timely made. Your Committee believes that, for consistency, it is appropriate to also impose the same requirement on excess contributions of more than $100 in cash, in the aggregate, from any single contributor during an election period.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a savings clause; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 369, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 369, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair