STAND. COM. REP. NO.2690

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2609

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Economic Development and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2609 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENTERPRISE ZONES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to add call centers that provide customer and technical support services for health care providers to the list of businesses eligible for Hawaii's Enterprise Zone hiring incentives due to its potential to enhance our ongoing efforts to diversify Hawaii's health care industry.

Your Committee received testimony in favor of this measure from American Healthways and Kapolei Property Development, LLC. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Technology.

Your Committee finds that the addition of health care providers to the definition of "call center" to give the emerging call center industry in Hawaii one more opportunity to attract specific niches is important to building a credible sector in the State. The call center industry in Hawaii currently employs an estimated 4,000 people in 68 centers. The industry rule of thumb is that approximately five per cent of a location's available workforce can be employed in call centers before reaching saturation. For Hawaii that would be in the neighborhood of 30,000 people which means we have a great opportunity for development of the call center industry in our State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing the term health care providers with "disease management services" to narrow the scope of qualified companies. Additionally, a definition of "disease management services" has been added to section 209E-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2609, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2609, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development and Technology,

____________________________

ROD TAM, Chair