STAND. COM. REP. NO. 970

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1689

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1689, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a comprehensive public funding program for state legislative candidates and candidates for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor who agree to abide by campaign contribution and expenditure limits.

Your Committee finds that a number of states, such as Arizona and Maine, have enacted laws that allow for publicly funded campaigns for state elective office. Based upon the positive experiences of these states both in terms of increasing voter participation and allowing more people to participate as candidates for elective office, your Committee finds that Hawaii should also enact a similar comprehensive public funding program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Including prosecuting attorney elections in this program;

(2) Deleting the specific monetary amounts for the thresholds, contributions, and limits proposed to operate the program;

(3) Deleting the appropriation that would have provided for additional staffing to the Campaign Spending Commission to operate the program;

(4) Changing the effective date of the measure to July 1, 2050; and

(5) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style and clarity.

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. 1689, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1689, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair