Report Title:

Office of International Affairs; Legislative Protocol Fund

 

Description:

Expands the Office of International Affairs.  Establishes a legislative protocol fund.  Brings the Second  International Symposium on Freeways and Tollways to Hawaii in 2009. Appropriates funds.  (HB1547 HD2)

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1547

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

H.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

relating to international affairs.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Chapter 21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§21-       Legislative protocol fund; international affairs.  (a)  There is established a legislative protocol fund to be administered by the legislature.

     (b)  Appropriations made by the legislature shall be deposited into the fund.

     (c)  The fund shall be used to welcome and extend protocol courtesies to visiting international dignitaries and government officials."

     SECTION 2.  Section 201-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "[[]§201-17[]]  Office of international affairs; established.  (a)  There is established, within the department of business, economic development, and tourism, an office of international affairs.

     (b)  The office shall:

     (1)  Develop policies that promote and strengthen relations with other countries in the areas of international business, economy, culture, education, and the arts;

     (2)  Develop policies that promote transportation between, and tourism with, other countries;

     (3)  Develop and promote international telecommunications and high technology exchanges;

     (4)  Encourage the development of international sister-city programs, pairing Hawaii cities with cities around the globe for artistic, cultural, economic, educational, and faith-based exchanges;

     (5)  Develop and promote Hawaii as the economic, trade, commerce, transportation, banking, [and] tourism, regional headquarters, and international conferences hub of the [Pacific;] Asia-Pacific region;

     (6)  Develop an international affairs and peace education curriculum that includes studies of international affairs and peace initiatives and takes a proactive, strategic approach to the development of policies that promote the prevention of national and international conflict, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured mediation of conflict; [and]

     (7)  Provide for exchanges of individuals between Hawaii and other nations to develop international and peace-based initiatives[.];

     (8)  Be the State's central point of contact and accountability in international affairs and serve as the State's advocate for a global orientation;

     (9)  Inventory existing international programs and develop a web-based information portal to make this information available to the public;

    (10)  Encourage the attraction of international conferences to be held in Hawaii;

    (11)  Encourage the development of international programming and content on local radio shows and a dedicated public access channel for international programs and issues;

    (12)  Facilitate an international educational links program by increasing collaboration and coordination of international, educational, business, and community organizations and providing funding for activities that shall include but not be limited to:

         (A)  School excursions from Asia to Hawaii schools, targeting middle and high-school students from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, and China with special focus on Hawaii's sister-states, using the department of business, economic development, and tourism and its overseas offices to market school excursions to Hawaii and match these overseas school visits with Hawaii schools;

         (B)  Study abroad programs, targeting middle and high-school students from Hawaii's schools, using the department's overseas offices and focusing on Hawaii's sister-states that match Hawaii schools with overseas schools for school-to-school visits and hosting.  The office shall fund, and encourage funding sources both public and private to help finance the studies abroad; and

         (C)  Teacher exchange programs through which teachers from Hawaii and abroad exchange a period of time in teaching.  The office shall fund and encourage funding sources both public and private to help finance teaching abroad;

         and

    (13)  Facilitate an international leaders program by facilitating the collaboration and coordination of international, educational, business, and community organizations and funding activities that shall include but not be limited to:

         (A)  International conferences for high-school students involving international organizations such as the East West Center and the Pacific Asian Affairs Council;

         (B)  Adopt-a-school programs partnering international companies and organizations schools for cultural and educational enrichment; and

         (C)  School competitions to become a high-school fellow at international agencies’ programs.

 [(c)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, if any of the responsibilities or duties of the office of international affairs under this section overlap with the responsibilities or duties of another agency or authority under this chapter, the office of international affairs shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority over those responsibilities and duties.]"

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $531,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 and the sum of $518,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary fiscal year 2008-2009 for the hiring of an executive director and administrative assistant for the office of international affairs and for operating and program expenses.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $50,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 to bring the Second International Symposium on Freeway and Tollway Operations to Hawaii in 2009 and to begin preliminary planning for the 2009 conference.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii at Manoa, college of engineering, for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 5.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.