STAND. COM. REP. NO.2642

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2635

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 Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2635 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the duties and responsibilities of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

In particular, this measure implements recommendations of the Auditor to repeal the statutes establishing the Office of Tourism in the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; repeal certain other tourism statutes related to that department; and assign to the Hawaii Tourism Authority the key duties and responsibilities that were formerly assigned to the Office of Tourism.

Your Committee finds that since its inception in 1998, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has assumed the duties of the Office of Tourism. Accordingly, your Committee agrees with the amendments made by this measure to repeal the laws establishing the Office of Tourism and other related tourism statutes that are no longer relevant.

Your Committee also agrees with the shift to the Authority the key duties of the Office of Tourism, including the responsibility to promote the tourism industry in the State, develop and implement the state tourism marketing plan, and review the expenditure of public funds by any visitor industry organization with which the Authority's Board of Directors contracts to perform tourism marketing, promotion, and development.

Upon further review, your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes. Since section 2 of this bill repeals chapter 201, part VII, Hawaii Revised Statutes, your Committee has added a new section amending section 201B-11 to delete a cross-reference to the repealed Office of Tourism established in section 201-92. Your Committee has also renumbered the remaining sections of the bill.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2635, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2635, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair