STAND. COM. REP. NO. 820

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 727

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 727 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to limit the permitted uses of campaign funds to only those purposes that are directly related to the campaigns of candidates.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Campaign Spending Commission, Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that this measure implements one of the recommendations made by the Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct established pursuant to House Resolution No. 9, Regular Session of 2022. Your Committee believes that there is merit in allowing campaign funds to be donated or awarded for certain public purposes, such as public schools, public libraries, or even to award scholarships to full-time students. Restoring the authority to donate campaign funds for certain uses ensures that monies received by a campaign are returned to the public for the betterment of public services and to provide educational opportunities to students.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Restoring language that allows campaign funds, under certain conditions, to be used to:

(A) Make donations to any community service, educational, youth, recreational, charitable, scientific, or literary organization;

(B) Make donations to any public school or public library; and

(C) Award scholarships to full-time students attending a higher education institution or vocational education school in a program leading to a degree; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 727, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair