STAND. COM. REP. NO.921

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 336

S.D. 3

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Tourism and Culture, to which was referred S.B. No. 336, S.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to:

(1) Require the Legislative Auditor to conduct a financial audit of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) to ensure HTA is in compliance with programmatic and financial requirements; and

(2) Repeal HTA June 30, 2003.

An individual submitted testimony in support of this bill.

The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism submitted comments.

HTA, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawaii Attractions Association, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Neighbors of the Ala Wai, Hawaii Business Roundtable, Hawaii Hotel Association, Hawaii Restaurant Association, Maui Hotel Association, Maui Marriott Resorts & Ocean Club, Yacht Harbor Towers, and several concerned citizens opposed this bill.

Your Committee recognizes that HTA has been working hard to promote Hawaii's tourism industry and has been successful at marketing and increasing visitor expenditures.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the requirement that the Legislative Auditor audit HTA;

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 2020; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, style and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism and Culture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 336, S.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 336, S.D. 3, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism and Culture,

____________________________

JERRY CHANG, Chair