STAND. COM. REP. NO. 854

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 631
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
631 entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO POLITICAL PARTIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to make it easier for a
political party to qualify and operate in Hawaii.  Specifically,
this is accomplished by lowering the number of required
signatures needed to qualify as a party from one per cent to one-
tenth of one per cent of the registered voters at the last
general election.

     Your Committee received supporting testimony for this bill
from the Office of Elections, League of Women Voters, and
minority parties.  Your Committee finds that the voting public
may increase its participation in the electoral process if it has
a greater choice in political parties.  An informed electorate
that participates in the election process can better understand
the workings of government and reduce the current cynicism about
politicians and government bureaucracy.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by retaining the
requirements that petitioners provide their name, signature,
residence address, date of birth, and other information, rather
than just their signatures.  This amendment is necessary to

 
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continue to allow the Office of Elections to verify whether a
voter is a qualified registered voter.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
631, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 631, S.D. 1, and
be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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