Bill Text: HI HB729 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 729

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating To Candidate Committee And Noncandidate Committee Organizational Reports.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [HB729 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-HB729-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	729
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to candidate COMMITTEE and noncandidate committee organizational reports.

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the house of representatives adopted House Resolution No. 9, Regular Session of 2022, to establish the commission to improve standards of conduct. The resolution requests the commission ensure state laws and rules relating to standards of conduct of public officers and employees contain clear standards, enforcement, and penalties and provide recommendations to increase awareness of, compliance with, and deterrent effects of the code of ethics, lobbying laws, campaign finance laws, and other relevant laws and rules.

Pursuant to House Resolution No. 9, the commission to improve standards of conduct convened regularly throughout 2022 to diligently review, discuss, and consider the issues presented, submitted an interim report to the house of representatives outlining areas of immediate and long-term focus, then continued its work with input from the public and invited individuals and agencies to issue a final report with various recommendations and accompanying proposed legislation.

The legislature also finds that the strength and stability of our democratic government rely upon the public's trust in government institutions, including the expectation that officers act ethically with prudence, integrity, and sound judgement. Therefore, an essential goal of the commission was to provide recommendations that would help restore public trust in state government and increase the level of transparency in its operations and accountability of individuals.

Pursuant to state law, candidate committees and noncandidate committees are required to file organizational reports by certain deadlines. However, the legislature finds that in every election, there are candidates and persons who qualify as noncandidate committees who fail to register, thereby preventing the public from seeing who is in charge of these committees and their organizational reports.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to implement recommendations of the commission to improve standards of conduct relating to campaign finance by requiring the campaign spending commission to publish on its website the names of candidate committees and noncandidate committees who fail to properly file an organizational report.

SECTION 2. Section 11-322, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§11-322 Organizational report, candidate committee. (a) The candidate committee organizational report shall include:

(1) The committee's name and address, including web page address, if any;

(2) The candidate's name, address, and telephone number;

(3) The office being sought by the candidate, district, and party affiliation;

(4) The chairperson's name and address and, if appointed, the deputy chairperson's name and address;

(5) The treasurer's name and address and, if appointed, all deputy treasurers' names and addresses;

(6) The name and address of each depository institution in which the committee will maintain any of its accounts and the applicable account number; and

(7) A certification by the candidate and treasurer of the statements in the organizational report.

(b) Any change in information previously reported in the organizational report shall be electronically filed with the commission within ten days of the change being brought to the attention of the committee chairperson or treasurer.

(1) File the organizational report; or

(2) Correct a report within two weeks from a notice to correct provided by the commission."

SECTION 3. Section 11-323, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§11-323 Organizational report, noncandidate committee. (a) The noncandidate committee organizational report shall include:

(1) The committee's name, which shall incorporate the full name of the sponsoring entity, if any. An acronym or abbreviation may be used in other communications if the acronym or abbreviation is commonly known or clearly recognized by the general public. The committee's name shall not include the name of a candidate;

(2) The committee's address, including web page address, if any;

(3) The area, scope, or jurisdiction of the committee;

(4) The name and address of the committee's sponsoring entity. If the committee does not have a sponsoring entity, the committee shall specify the trade, profession, or primary interest of contributors to the committee;

(5) The name, address, telephone number, occupation, and principal place of business of the chairperson;

(6) The name, address, telephone number, occupation, and principal place of business of the treasurer and any other officers;

(7) An indication as to whether the committee was formed to support or oppose a specific ballot question or candidate and, if so, a brief description of the question or the name of the candidate;

(8) An indication as to whether the committee is a political party committee;

(9) The name, address, telephone number, occupation, and principal place of business of the custodian of the books and accounts;

(10) The name and address of the depository institution in which the committee will maintain its campaign account and each applicable account number; and

(11) A certification by the chairperson and treasurer of the statements in the organizational report.

(1) File the organizational report; or

(2) Correct a report within two weeks from a notice to correct provided by the commission."

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5 This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct; Candidate Committees; Noncandidate Committees; Organizational Reports

Description:

Requires the campaign spending commission to publish on its website the names of candidate committees and noncandidate committees who fail to properly file an organizational report.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.