STAND. COM. REP. NO.430-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2192

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2192, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to ensure that the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) Board more accurately represents the public by:

(1) Increasing the number of public voting members to twelve;

(2) Requiring that at least one public voting member comes from each county;

(3) Expanding the knowledge area of the twelve public voting

members to include transportation, retail,

entertainment, or visitor attractions, and requiring at

least one member to have knowledge, experience, and

expertise in the area of Hawaiian cultural practices;

(4) Adding the chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural

Resources as an ex officio nonvoting member; and

(5) Requiring seven voting members to constitute quorum.

The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Waikiki Improvement Association, the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, and the Visitor Industry Coalition testified or submitted testimony in support of the measure. Various health and human services providers, including the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse, the National Association of Social Workers, the Hawaii Behavioral Science Coalition, and the Waikiki Health Center also submitted testimony in support, with the additional request that the health and human services provider community be allowed to have representation on the HTA board.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2192, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

 

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair