HB 2735 Summary

• Increases administrative fines for noncandidate committees making independent expenditures that violate campaign finance laws, with fines up to $5,000 per occurrence or three times the unlawful contribution/expenditure amount.

• Requires all nomination paper filing fees to be deposited into the Hawaii election campaign fund to support public campaign financing, with fees increasing to $3,000 for Congress and state offices, $2,000 for mayor, and $1,000 for all other offices.

• Increases required signatures on nomination papers for candidates from 25 to 75 for Congress/governor/lieutenant governor and from 15 to 25 for legislature and county offices; candidates voluntarily accepting spending limits must collect 300, 100, or 200 signatures respectively.

• Moves the nomination paper filing deadline from the first Tuesday in June to the first Tuesday in May, allowing approximately three months before the August primary election.

• Increases the base expenditure limits for candidates accepting voluntary spending limits beginning January 1, 2022, with an annual increase of a specified percentage compounded annually.