STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2191

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2445

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2445 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt candidates who are already declared elected to office after running unopposed in an election from the prohibition on using election campaign funds to make charitable donations and to award scholarships until the general election.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission.

     Your Committee finds that candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds for certain purposes, such as making charitable donations and awarding scholarships, from the filing of nomination papers to the general election, presumably because these uses may be interpreted as attempts to buy votes.  This measure provides candidates who become elected to office prior to a general election the opportunity to use campaign funds for purposes of making charitable donations or awarding scholarships, as they no longer need to acquire votes to prevail in the election.

     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. 2445 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair