STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1699

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 628
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred S.B. No. 628, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify and improve election
laws by:

     (1)  Defining "ballot issue committee";

     (2)  Redefining "committee" to exempt organizations that
          raise or expend funds solely to produce and disseminate
          informational or educational advertising;

     (3)  Requiring candidates to register with the Campaign
          Spending Commission within ten days of their first
          expenditure;

     (4)  Removing the requirement that continuing candidates re-
          register for each election;

     (5)  Extending to committees the opportunity to voluntarily
          turn over excess contributions;

     (6)  Repealing a prohibition against corporate contributions
          to committees that were formed less than a year before
          a primary election;

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1699
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     (7)  Moving the first reporting date for candidate
          committees to July 30 of an election year;

     (8)  Extending potential criminal prosecution to "persons"
          rather than "individuals";

     (9)  Giving the Campaign Spending Commission the option of
          publishing on the internet the names of those who have
          failed to file a report; and

     (10) Clarifying that a candidate is not subject to
          contribution limitations as to the candidate's own
          campaign.

     Testimony in support of this bill was received from the
Campaign Spending Commission, the League of Women Voters of
Hawaii, and Common Cause Hawaii.  All those providing testimony
raised concerns regarding a number of the provisions in the bill.

     Your Committee finds that the effective reform of campaign
spending laws is necessary to comprehensively enhance and clarify
campaign spending laws for individuals, committees and political
parties.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Deleting language regarding the duties of the
          Commission that allowed the Commission to publish
          information either by newspaper or website;

     (2)  Deleting language that specifically exempted candidates
          from contribution limitations as to their own campaign;

     (3)  Clarifying that all advertisements shall contain the
          name and address of the person paying for the
          advertisement; and

     (4)  Making technical, non-substantive amendments for
          purposes of style and 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. 628, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 628, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be placed on the
calendar for Third Reading.


 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1699
                                 Page 3

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   PAUL T. OSHIRO, Chair