STAND. COM. REP. NO. 171

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 370

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 370 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PARTIAL PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Increase the amount of funds available to candidates who qualify to participate in the partial public financing program;

(2) Adjust the minimum amount of qualifying contributions certain candidates must receive to participate in the partial public financing program;

(3) Increase the matching fund payments to candidates in the partial public financing program for excess qualifying contributions; and

(4) Appropriate funds to increase the amount of funds available in the partial public financing program and to permit the Campaign Spending Commission to hire more staff to address the anticipated increase in participation in the financing program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission; League of Women Voters of Hawaii; Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action; Green Party of Hawaiʻi; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Our Hawaiʻi; 350Hawaii.org; Free Access Coalition; Chamber of Sustainable Commerce; Hawaii Workers Center; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that this measure implements one of the recommendations made by the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct established by the House of Representatives in House Resolution No. 9, Regular Session of 2022. This measure would bolster publicly funded elections thereby expanding the reach of many small donors and relieving candidates of the need to rely on the support of special interest groups or large donors.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation for staff within the Campaign Spending Commission and the number of staff positions to unspecified amounts;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $200,000 for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) permanent positions to be placed within the Campaign Spending Commission.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 370, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 370, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair