STAND. COM. REP. NO. 643

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 478

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 478 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII RELATING TO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to propose an amendment to article III, section 6, of the Hawaii State Constitution to increase the residency requirements for candidates for the office of State Senate or House of Representatives by requiring the candidates to be residents of the State for not less than five years and residents of the district from which they seek to be elected for not less than twelve consecutive months prior to the next succeeding general election.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Ironworkers Stabilization Fund and one individual.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii and IMUAalliance.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

 

     Your Committee finds that this measure proposes a constitutional amendment that would bring the residency requirements for candidates for the offices of State Senate and House of Representatives into conformity with the residency requirements for candidates for the office of the Governor.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding language in the purpose section to explicitly state that the purpose of this measure is to change the residency requirements for candidates for the offices of State Senate and House of Representatives to bring those residency requirements into conformity with the residency requirements for candidates for the office of the Governor.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 478, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 478, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

 

 

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair