Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the Hawaii State Legislature, fetched 2026-08-29. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official page appears here in brackets. This is the first conference draft. The official bill page.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 2050 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D. 1 STATE OF HAWAII S.D. 1 C.D. 1 A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PARTIAL PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the amounts available to candidates in Hawaii's partial public financing program were last significantly amended in 1995. The legislature further finds that since 1995-1996, the value of the dollar has risen to approximately $2.12. The purpose of this Act is to: (1) Increase the expenditure limit and the amount of funds available to candidates qualified to participate in the partial public financing program, including candidates for the board of trustees for the office of Hawaiian affairs, who run statewide; (2) Encourage participation in the partial public financing program by providing for the adjustment of the amount of minimum qualifying contributions required for certain offices; (3) Increase matching fund payments from $1 to $2 for each $1 of qualifying contributions in excess of the minimum qualifying contribution amounts; and (4) Appropriate funds from the general revenues of the State to increase the amount of funds available in the partial public financing program. SECTION 2. Section 11-423, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows: "§11-423 Voluntary expenditure limits; filing affidavit. (a) Any candidate may voluntarily agree to limit the candidate's expenditures and those of the candidate's candidate committee or committees and the candidate's party on the candidate's behalf by filing an affidavit with the campaign spending commission. (b) The affidavit shall state that the candidate knows the voluntary campaign expenditure limitations as set out in this part and that the candidate is voluntarily agreeing to limit the candidate's expenditures and those made on the candidate's behalf by the amount set by law. The affidavit shall be subscribed to by the candidate and notarized and filed no later than the time of filing nomination papers with the chief election officer or county clerk. (c) The affidavit shall remain effective until the termination of the candidate committee or the opening of filing of nomination papers for the next succeeding election, whichever occurs first. An affidavit filed under this section [may] shall not be rescinded. (d) From January 1 of the year of any primary, special, or general election, the aggregate expenditures for each election by a candidate who voluntarily agrees to limit campaign expenditures, inclusive of all expenditures made or authorized by the candidate alone, all treasurers, the candidate committee, and noncandidate committees on the candidate's behalf, shall not exceed the following amounts expressed, respectively multiplied by the number of voters in the last preceding general election registered to vote in each respective voting district: (1) For the office of governor--[$2.50;] $3.00; (2) For the office of lieutenant governor--[$1.40;] $1.68; (3) For the office of mayor--[$2.00;] $2.40; (4) For the offices of state senator, state representative, county council member, and prosecuting attorney--[$1.40;] $1.68; and (5) For all other offices--[20] 24 cents. (e) Notwithstanding subsection (d), a candidate who voluntarily agrees to limit campaign expenditures may elect to allocate up to seventy-five per cent of the candidate's combined aggregate expenditure limit applicable to the primary and general elections to either election; provided that the candidate shall not exceed the combined aggregate expenditure limit applicable to both elections." SECTION 3. Section 11-425, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows: "§11-425 Maximum amount of public funds available to candidate. (a) The maximum amount of public funds available in each election to a candidate for [the office of governor, lieutenant governor, or mayor shall not exceed ten per cent of the expenditure limit established in section 11-423(d) for each election. (b) The maximum amount of public funds available in each election to a candidate for the office of state senator, state representative, county council member, and prosecuting attorney shall not exceed fifteen per cent of the expenditure limit established in section 11-423(d) for each election. (c) For the office of Hawaiian affairs, the maximum amount of public funds available to a candidate shall not exceed $1,500 in any election year. (d) For all other offices, the maximum amount of public funds available to a candidate shall not exceed $100 in any election year.]: (1) The office of governor, lieutenant governor, or mayor of the city and county of Honolulu or the county of Hawaii shall not exceed 12.5 per cent of the expenditure limit established in section 11-423(d) for each election; (2) The office of state senator, state representative, mayor of the county of Kauai or the county of Maui, county council member, and prosecuting attorney shall not exceed 18.75 per cent of the expenditure limit established in section 11-423(d) for each election; or (3) The office of Hawaiian affairs shall not exceed 7.5 per cent of the expenditure limit established in section 11-423(d) for each election. [(e)] (b) Each candidate who qualified for the maximum amount of public funding in any primary election and who is a candidate for a subsequent general election shall apply with the commission to be qualified to receive the maximum amount of public funds as provided in this section for the respective general election. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a candidate may elect to allocate up to seventy-five per cent of the total maximum amount of public funds available to the candidate for the primary and general elections to either election; provided that the candidate shall not receive public funds in excess of the combined maximum amount otherwise available for both elections. (d) For purposes of this section, "qualified" means meeting the qualifying campaign contribution requirements of section 11-429." SECTION 4. Section 11-429, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows: "(a) As a condition of receiving public funds for a primary or general election, a candidate shall not be unopposed in any election for which public funds are sought, shall have filed an affidavit with the commission pursuant to section 11‑423 to voluntarily limit the candidate's campaign expenditures, and shall be in receipt of the following sum of qualifying contributions from individual residents of Hawaii: (1) For the office of governor--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $100,000; (2) For the office of lieutenant governor--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $50,000; (3) For the office of mayor for each respective county: (A) [County] City and county of Honolulu--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $50,000; (B) County of Hawaii--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $15,000; (C) County of Maui--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $10,000; and (D) County of Kauai--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $5,000; (4) For the office of prosecuting attorney for each respective county: (A) [County] City and county of Honolulu--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed [$30,000;] $25,000; (B) County of Hawaii--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed [$10,000;] $5,000; and (C) County of Kauai--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed [$5,000;] $3,000; (5) For the office of county council--for each respective county: (A) [County] City and county of Honolulu--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $5,000; (B) County of Hawaii--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $1,500; (C) County of Maui--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed [$5,000;] $4,000; and (D) County of Kauai--qualifying contributions that in the aggregate exceed $3,000; (6) For the office of state senator--qualifying contributions that[,] in the aggregate exceed $2,500; (7) For the office of state representative--qualifying contributions that[,] in the aggregate[,] exceed $1,500; (8) For the office of Hawaiian affairs--qualifying contributions that[,] in the aggregate[,] exceed [$1,500;] $5,500; and (9) For all other offices[,]--qualifying contributions that[,] in the aggregate[,] exceed $500[.] for one office. (b) A candidate shall obtain the minimum qualifying contribution amount set forth in subsection (a) once for the election period. [(1)] If the candidate obtains the minimum qualifying contribution amount, the candidate [is] shall be eligible to receive: [(A)] (1) The minimum payment in an amount equal to the minimum qualifying contribution amounts; and [(B)] (2) Payments of [$1] $2 for each $1 of qualifying contributions in excess of the minimum qualifying contribution amounts[; and]. [(2)] A candidate shall have at least one other qualified candidate as an opponent for the primary or general election to receive public funds for that election." SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,267,021.06 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to be deposited into the Hawaii election campaign fund. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the campaign spending commission for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 6. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date. SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on November 4, 2026; provided that section 5 shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
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