Report Title:

Elections; Campaign Contributions; Reciprocal Beneficiaries

 

Description:

Adds reciprocal beneficiaries to the definition of "immediate family" for laws related to campaign contributions.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2656

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to campaign contributions.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature has previously acknowledged that there are many individuals who have significant personal, emotional, and economic relationships with other individuals yet these couples are prohibited from legally marrying.  In response to this, the legislature has created a legal relationship known as a reciprocal beneficiary relationship to assist those couples in providing for one another.  The legislature finds that there are individuals who are in reciprocal beneficiary relationships who want to campaign for elected office and may wish to rely on campaign contributions from their reciprocal beneficiary.  The legislature also finds that part of the intent of the campaign contribution laws was to provide special exemptions for immediate family members when providing campaign contributions.  The legislature further finds that reciprocal beneficiaries should be considered immediate family members for the purposes of campaign contribution laws.

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the definition of "immediate family member" in section 11-191, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to include reciprocal beneficiaries. 

     SECTION 2.  Section 11-191, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending the definition of "immediate family" to read as follows:

     ""Immediate family" means a candidate's spouse[,] or reciprocal beneficiary, and any child, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister of the candidate, and the spouses or reciprocal beneficiaries of such persons.  For the purposes of this part, "reciprocal beneficiaries" shall have the same meaning as in section 572C-3."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun, before its effective date.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________