LEGISLATURE 2003 STATUS REPORT
Government

Here are many of the major bills under consideration at the Legislature. Listing which bills are passing and which are failing halfway through the legislative session is risky.

Failing bills can be revived, living bills can be rewritten, and key lawmakers can change their minds.

This listing of bills is an effort to show readers where issues appear to be headed. Public participation and lobbying can change the outcome of any issue listed here.

Publicly financed elections
(HB1547 HD2)

Amends campaign spending laws to provide alternative public funding for candidates seeking office in the Legislature who voluntarily abide by certain contribution and expenditure limits. The program would begin when $3 million are collected in the Hawai'i election campaign fund.

Close elections
(HB 756 HD2)

Requires the chief elections officer or county clerk to order a recount of all ballots cast for an office when there exists a vote difference of one-eighth of one percent or less.

Voter registration
(SB 1142)

Allows residents to register to vote on election day.

Campaign contributions
(HB 284 HD1, SB 459 SD1)

Among other provisions, House bill prohibits political fundraising in government offices, bans campaign contributions by government contractors up to two years from the time of receiving a contract to two years after termination and bans expenditures of campaign money for personal use.

Senate bill includes provisions that prohibit government contractors from contributing to candidates or candidates' committees, limits annual aggregate contributions by an person or entity to $25,000, allows campaign money to be spent for charity, and repeals limit on number of fund-raisers.

Salary commission
(SB 1332 SD2)

Establishes an executive salary commission to review and recommend the salaries of the governor, the lieutenant governor, cabinet members, executive officers and deputy department heads. Recommendations require a 3/4 vote of each house of the Legislature to take effect.

Electronic procurement
(SB 1263 SD3)

Allows purchase of goods and services, and awarding of construction contracts, through an online electronic procurement system.

Gift disclosures for residents
(HB 286)

Lowers the gift disclosure threshold from $200 to $100, above which a legislator, government employee, spouse, or child of a legislator may be required to file a gift disclosure statement.

Elections by mail
(HB 754, SB 1149)

Allows any federal, state, or county election other than a regularly scheduled primary or general election to be conducted by mail.

Campaign signs
(SB 456)

Repeals prohibition against displaying campaign signs more than 45 days prior to and 10 days following an election.

Merging Aloha Tower with HCDA
(SB 1287)

Consolidates authority over the region around Aloha Tower from the Aloha Tower Development Corp. to the Hawai'i Community Development Authority that now oversees Kaka'ako. The bill moved out of the Senate but stalled in the House.

Sunshine law

Would exempt county councils from the open-meetings law.

Unadjudicated fines to counties

Gives money collected from uncontested traffic fines and forfeitures to the counties who are charged with providing the police and attorneys who prosecute the violations.

Merging LUC and OSP with DLNR

Merges the Land Use Commission and the Office of State Planning with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.