CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 175-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2240

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2240, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require and appropriate funds for the Office of Elections to file an application with the Electronic Registration Information Center, Inc., (ERIC) for the State to be admitted as a member of the organization;

(2) Require the State and each county to use the information and services made available by ERIC to verify their voter registration rolls; and

(3) Require the Office of Elections to request an appropriation from the Legislature, beginning fiscal year 2025—2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, for the State's annual membership dues to ERIC.

Your Committee on Conference finds that ERIC, is a nonprofit organization that was formed to help states improve the accuracy of voter registration rolls by using secure data-matching tools. This measure will provide another tool for election officials to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the voter registration rolls by allowing election officials to compare the State's voter registration file and driver license and identification card file with other member states.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting legislative findings clarifying that part of the process for a state to be admitted as a member of ERIC is for that state to send mailers to its residents who have driver's licenses but are not registered to vote, encouraging them to register to vote;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $125,000 for the Office of Elections to prepare and file an application with ERIC, for the State to be admitted as a member of the organization, and for the Office of Elections to send mailers to all Hawaii residents who have driver's licenses but are not registered to vote, encouraging them to register to vote;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2024; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2240, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2240, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS Co-Chair	____________________________ KARL RHOADS Chair
____________________________ SCOTT Y. NISHIMOTO Co-Chair	____________________________ MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO Co-Chair