STAND. COM. REP. NO.651

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 299

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 299 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STANDARDS OF CONDUCT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt elected officials from the requirement of filing multiple ethics disclosure forms during a calendar year, if the elected official has already filed at least one form during the year.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission (Commission) submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, certain state officials, particularly those who are subject to candidate filing requirements because they are running for elective office, must file up to three ethics disclosure forms a year. Failure to file properly can lead to monetary penalties and an unfair appearance that the official has "something to hide."

Your Committee agrees that if an elected official has filed a form during the year, then that person should not be required to file additional forms throughout the year unless there has been a change in financial circumstances for the official.

Although the Commission opposed this measure, at the hearing it became clear that the change in law proposed by this measure is administratively feasible, and therefore your Committee believes that this measure is prudent.

Your Committee amended this measure so that any state official who is required to report to the Commission, and not only elected officials, may rely on a report filed earlier in the year. Your Committee also inserted a provision to require subsequent filings by an official whose financial condition has changed since the previous filing.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 299, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 299, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations,

____________________________

CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair