STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2475

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2819

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to meet federal requirements relating to mailing absentee ballots to certain voters.

 

The bill accomplishes this by changing the date of the primary election to the second Saturday of August.  This measure also changes the deadline for filing nomination papers to the first Tuesday in June.

 

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from The League of Women Voters of Hawaii.  Written comments received by the Committee may be viewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that lengthening the time between the state primary and general elections will allow the State to comply with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which requires states to mail absentee ballots to uniformed and overseas voters no later than forty-five days prior to the elections for federal office.  Current law, which allows for only forty-five days between primary and general elections, makes it impossible for the State to meet the federal deadlines.

 

     Your Committee amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

 

     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 S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair