HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2025

 

COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY & HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS

Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair

Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice Chair

 

Rep. Della Au Belatti

Rep. Gregg Takayama

Rep. Elle Cochran

Rep. Chris Todd

Rep. Mark J. Hashem

Rep. Diamond Garcia

Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa

Rep. Garner M. Shimizu

Rep. Amy A. Perruso

 

 

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

TIME:

2:00 p.m.

PLACE:

VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE

Conference Room 325

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

 

 

 

Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.

 

A live stream link of all House Standing Committee meetings will be available online

shortly before the scheduled start time.

 

Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.

 

 

 

A G E N D A

 

SB 176, SD1

(SSCR811)

Status

RELATING TO RECOUNTS.

Allows for ballots designated by the county clerks for inclusion to be included in the initial tabulation.  Prohibits ballots that the county clerks initially determine are deficient or need additional time to be corrected or verified from being included in the initial tabulation.  Increases the minimum threshold required to trigger an automatic recount.  (SD1)

 

JHA

SB 311, SD1

(SSCR713)

Status

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION REGARDING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Proposes an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution to provide that freedom of speech protected under the Hawaii State Constitution does not include the expenditure of money to influence elections.  (SD1)

 

JHA, FIN

SB 780

(SSCR696)

Status

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Specifies that election ballots issued by the Chief Election Officer or county clerk shall exclude any candidate who is disqualified by a constitutional or statutory provision.  Provides for a process for challenging an inclusion or exclusion of a candidate from a ballot.  Includes a candidate's disqualification as grounds for an election contest complaint.  Specifies that electors of presidential and vice presidential candidates shall not be individuals who are disqualified by a constitutional or statutory provision.

 

JHA

SB 1030, SD2

(SSCR995)

Status

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Specifies that the practice of election fraud intimidation includes carrying any unconcealed firearm or dangerous instrument at or within two hundred feet of a voter service center, place of deposit, or polling place.  (SD2)

 

JHA

SB 1225

(SSCR946)

Status

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII, SECTION 3 OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO SPECIFY THAT THE STANDARD FOR VOTER APPROVAL OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY THE LEGISLATURE IS A MAJORITY OF ALL THE VOTES TALLIED UPON THE QUESTION.

Proposes to amend article XVII, section 3 of the Hawaii State Constitution regarding the standard for ratification of a constitutional amendment proposed by the legislature, to require that a majority of all the votes tallied upon the question be a "yes" vote, and not include blank, spoiled, and over votes in determining whether a majority was reached.

 

JHA, FIN

SB 1515, SD1

(SSCR697)

Status

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Allows an on-call circuit judge in the relevant circuit to perform the duties of the Board of Registration for purposes of hearing elections disputes if the Board of Registration lacks full membership.  Requires the Judiciary to designate one or more on-call circuit court judges in each circuit to perform the duties of the Board of Registration for purposes of hearing elections disputes.  (SD1)

 

JHA, FIN

SB 1202

(SSCR958)

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE.

Allows campaign funds to be used for a candidate’s child care and vital household dependent care costs under certain conditions.

 

JHA, FIN

SB 345, SD1

(SSCR855)

Status

RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCING.

Raises the cap on the maximum amount of matching funds available to candidates for the Hawaii Partial Public Financing Program.  Increases the cap on the amount of expenditures a candidate can make in the Program.  Increases the matching fund ratio from $1 for each $1 of qualifying contributions raised by a candidate to $2 for each $1 of qualifying contributions raised in excess of the minimum qualifying contributions that a candidate must raise to participate in the Program.  Appropriates funds.  Effective 4/23/2057.  (SD1)

 

JHA, FIN

SB 1032, SD2

(SSCR1042)

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE.

Prohibits foreign entities and foreign-influenced business entities from making contributions, expenditures, electioneering communications, or donations for election purposes.  Allows every business entity that contributes or expends funds in a state election to certify that the entity is not and will not be a foreign corporation or foreign-influenced business entity if the entity intends to make contributions or expenditures within an election cycle.  Specifies that if the conditions that determine whether a business entity qualifies as a foreign-influenced business entity are held unconstitutional by a final judgment, including all appeals, the Campaign Spending Commission is required to establish revised conditions that are constitutional.  Requires noncandidate committees making only independent expenditures to obtain a statement of certification from each top contributor required to be listed in an advertisement.  (SD2)

 

JHA, FIN

SB 51, SD1

(SSCR850)

Status

RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCING FOR CANDIDATES TO ELECTED OFFICE.

Establishes a comprehensive system of public financing for all candidates seeking election to state and county public offices in the State of Hawaii, to begin with the 2028 general election year.  Requires the Campaign Spending Commission to submit reports to the Legislature.  Appropriates funds.  Effective 4/23/2057.  (SD1)

 

JHA, FIN

SB 289

(SSCR712)

Status

RELATING TO ETHICS ADMINISTRATIVE FINES.

Establishes uniform provisions for the assessment of administrative penalties under the State Ethics Code and Lobbyist Law.

 

JHA

SB 1508, SD1

(SSCR716)

Status

RELATING TO STATUTORY REVISION:  AMENDING OR REPEALING VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE HAWAII REVISED STATUTES OR THE SESSION LAWS OF HAWAII FOR THE PURPOSES OF CORRECTING ERRORS AND REFERENCES, CLARIFYING LANGUAGE, OR DELETING OBSOLETE OR UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.

Amends or repeals various provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes or the Session Laws of Hawaii for the purposes of correcting errors and references, clarifying language, or deleting obsolete or unnecessary provisions.  (SD1)

 

JHA

SB 1337, SD1

(SSCR876)

Status

RELATING TO THE STADIUM AUTHORITY.

Clarifies requirements to establish a quorum to do business and validate acts of the Stadium Authority.  Effective 7/1/2050.  (SD1)

 

JHA

 

 

 

 

DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW

 

Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing.  Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider.  While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.

 

Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website.  This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.

 

The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.

 

Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session.  Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments.  However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.

 

Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior.  Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.

 

For remote testifiers, the House will not be responsible for bad connections on the testifier's end.

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.

 

The livestream and/or cable TV broadcast of this meeting will include closed captioning.  If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation (including oral, written, or ASL interpretive services) or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee clerk at (808) 586-6790. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.

 

Click here for a complete list of House Guidelines for remote testimony.

 

FOR AMENDED NOTICES:  Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.

 

For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-6325.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________

Rep. David A. Tarnas

Chair