STAND. COM. REP. NO. 760

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 927

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 927, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE IV, SECTIONS 4 AND 6, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION REGARDING REAPPORTIONMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to propose an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution to modify the method of reapportionment.

More specifically, the measure proposes to amend Article IV, sections 4 and 6, of the Hawaii State Constitution to specify that reapportionment shall be based on the resident population, as reported by the decennial United States census for the respective reapportionment year, rather than the permanent resident population.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from one individual.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that this measure's proposed change to the current method of reapportionment, if ratified by voters at the next general election, will ensure that state Senate and House of Representatives districts will be more representative of the people who live in those districts, by including all residents of each district in the population total used by the state Reapportionment Commission to allocate state Senate and House of Representatives districts, rather than only including each district's "permanent residents," a category that excludes "usual residents" such as members of the military, military dependents, and college students. Your Committee further finds that the proposed amendment, if ratified, will align Hawaii's approach to reapportionment with that of the other forty‑nine states, which base their reapportionment process on United States census data and the concept of "usual residents."

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Rephrasing the question to be printed on the ballot as follows:

(A) Specifying that reapportionment is the redrawing of electoral district boundaries in the State; and

(B) Referencing the current practice of basing reapportionment on the total number of permanent residents in the State; and

(2) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, 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. 927, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 927, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair