STAND. COM. REP. NO. 98-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 2119

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2119 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase opportunities for eligible individuals to register to vote and participate in the democratic process by:

(1) Requiring that any person who is eligible to vote and applies for a new or renewal driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit or for a new, renewal, or duplicate identification card be automatically registered to vote, if that person is not already registered to do so, unless the applicant affirmatively declines to be registered; and

(2) Authorizing the electronic transmission of certain information from the examiner of drivers to elections officials and the statewide voter registration system.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, Office of the County Clerk of the County of Maui, Office of the County Clerk of the County of Kauai, Common Cause Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, Sierra Club of Hawaii, AAUW of Hawaii, Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, Young Progressives Demanding Action, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Faith Action for Community Equity, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Americans for Democratic Action – Hawaii, AVR Hawaii Coalition, Breastfeeding Hawaii, Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center, Indivisible Windward, Pono Hawaii Initiative, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Pride at Work - Hawaii, League of Women Voters of Hawaii County, and eleven individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that this measure will require applicants to directly consider the question of whether they wish to register to vote or to affirmatively opt out as part of the driver's-license and identification-card application process. In addition, this measure ensures the accuracy of voter-registration rolls by electronically transmitting voter-registration data between the driver's-license and identification-card database and the statewide voter registration system. Furthermore, this electronic sharing of data will help to ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Prohibiting the examiner of drivers from electronically transmitting any information if an applicant affirmatively declines for the applicant's information to be transmitted; and

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2119, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2119, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair