STAND. COM. REP. NO. 507

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1689

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1689 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a comprehensive public funding program for state legislative candidates and candidates for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor who agree to abide by campaign contribution and expenditure limits.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Mayor of Hawaii County, a member of the Hawaii County Council, the Vice-Chair of the Maui County Council, the Hawaii Democratic Party-Oahu County Committee, the AARP of Hawaii, Hawaii Clean Elections, the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Interfaith Alliance Hawaii, the Kokua Council, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Life of the Land, Americans for Democratic Action-Hawaii Chapter, and forty-three individuals. Testimony in opposition to the measure was submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance, the Department of Taxation, and the Campaign Spending Commission. Offering comments on the measure was the Office of Elections.

Your Committee finds that a number of states, such as Arizona and Maine, have enacted laws that allow for publicly funded campaigns for state elective office. Based upon the positive experiences of these states both in terms of increasing voter participation and allowing more people to participate as candidates for elective office, your Committee finds that Hawaii should also enact a similar comprehensive public funding program for state legislative candidates as well as for the Office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the expending agency for purpose of the appropriation to the Department of Accounting and General Services; and

(2) Making technical, non-substantive changes for purposes of clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1689, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1689, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair