2003 GOOD GOVERNMENT LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
#   Bill Description January 24, 2003
1. Campaigns l
2. Allows CSC to increase matching funds to qualified candidates based on availability of funds, up to 100%; raises spending limits of public funded candidates up to competitive amounts; requires qualifying donations; increases check-off on tax returns from $2 to $5 for campaign fund; gives 25% tax credit for donations to campaign fund up to $1K; deposits unspecified % of nonbid contractor contracts to campaign fund
3. Requires legislators to post campaign spending reports on Internet; allow increase in administrative fines; make some campaign spending violations made a felony
4. Bans corporate and union donations to candidate, and other items in the vetoed 2002 campaign reform bill
5. Elections Citizens right to vote: establishes in statute a citizens right to vote; removes the voter registration deadline; removes social security requirement from voter registration; provides easier access to absentee ballots, eg. online and one-time requests; provides more locations for early voting; requires colleges to give voter reg. forms to students at registration; requires high schools to give voter reg. forms before graduation; provides a constitutional amendment to establish a citizens right to vote
6. Allows mail-in ballots for special elections not held inconjunction with a primary or general election
7. Requires instant runoff method of voting for up to four candidate preferences for state and county elections that don't have a primary; and gives the counties the option of using instant runoff voting method
8. Provides for enforcement of election laws by the attorney general; establishes a voter education program in office of elections and provide funds
9. Ethics Legislative ethics: prohibits from voting on bills that affect personal financial interests of the legislator except if legislator is in an affected class; requires convening of House & Senate legislative ethics committees to consider legislator requests and public complaints on conflict of interest situations and make recommendations; requires disclosure when legislators believe a bill may affect a family member'sfinancial interests; requires disclosure of business clients that provide $25,000 or 25% of their total annual income; requires disclosure of campaign fundraising solicitations held 30 days prior to and during legislative sessions
10. Prohibits board/commission member companies from doing private business with their board; prohibits a public officer from taking action on a matter in which a family member or employer has a financial interest; requires disclosure of financial interests outside Hawaii; and makes public the financial disclosures of boards of agriculture, regents, land and natural resources, Hawaiian homes commission, and state authorities
11. Prohibits legislators from sending out mass-mailed legislative newsletters 60 days prior to an election
12. Makes public the charges, answers, and final dispositions filed with the state Ethics Commission
13. Authorizes the Ethics Commission to set the salary level of its executive director
14. Public Access Legislative sunshine law: bans proxy voting; requires public notice of floor votes; requires public votes to suspend legislative rules; makes budget items and bill sections subject to public votes upon request by legislator; requires hearing for legislative rules; bans unequal weighted votes; requires public input on all substantive parts of legislation; requires that 48 hour hearing notices exclude Sundays & holidays
15. Legislative public access: establishes a public access and education program within the legislative reference bureau to include the public access room and legislative broadcast program that further includes audio/video webcasting of legislative proceedings; makes PAR a central depository of current testimony files
16. Neighbor Island access: establishes a statewide fair access commission in the governor's office & gives the joint legislative access committee responsibilities for reviewing, evaluating, and recommending improvements to access government information, services, and proceedings by Neighbor Island and rural Oahu residents
17. Open Govt Office of Information Practices: creates independent 5-member OIP appointment and review panel that appoints executive director to 6-year term; requires public notice for info briefings; prohibits abuse of OIP process
18. OIP compliance program: sets up compliance program and designates a compliance officer in each department; creates trust fund and training fees; OIP certifies departmental compliance; establishes criminal penalties for intentional failure to follow OIP decisions and orders
19. Limits copy fees to a maximum of 25 cents per page and removes the minimum five cents per page fee
20. Requires Governor's executive orders, proclamations, and messages to the legislature to be made public within five days of issuance
21. Cable PEGs Provides for development of a statewide cable access infrastructure and programming plan which may be facilitated by DCCA director, establishes a special fund to implement this plan, and deposits into the special fund a percentage of annual revenues from each public, education, and government access organization.
22. Requires nonprofit groups with bylaws that allow govt officials to appoint and/or remove a majority of board members to abide by the state open records and sunshine laws, in addition to non-profit corporation laws
S Sponsored by the Hawaii Pro-Democracy Initiative www.newhawaii.org ¥ hpdinitiative@hotmail.com ¥ phone: 528-6888