STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1722

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  GOV. MSG. NO. 147
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, to which was
referred Governor's Message No. 147, submitting for study and
consideration the nomination of:

     SEIJI F. NAYA, PH.D., gubernatorial nominee as the Director
     of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, for a term
     to expire December 02, 2002,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Upon review of the resume and other background information
submitted by the nominee, your Committee finds that Seiji F.
Naya, Ph.D., holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin,
where his dissertation was recognized by the American Economic
Association, the most prestigious association for professional
economists.  After graduation, Dr. Naya remained at the
University of Wisconsin to continue his research and teaching,
then joined the National Bureau of Economic Research, where he
was one of the first to receive a faculty fellowship.  As his
interests expanded beyond research, Dr. Naya served as the head
of the Regional Development Group of Asia Foundation's South East
Asian Development Advisory Group, and he joined the University of
Hawaii in the late 1960s.  Dr. Naya has also served as Chief
Economist at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, has been a
visiting professor in Japan and Thailand, and worked extensively
with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  He is
the author or editor of more than ninety articles and twenty
books.  In 1996, Dr. Naya was recognized as the Hawaii State
Administration of the Year by the American Society for Public
Administration, and recognized by the Western Economic

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1722
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Association International in 1998 for his contributions to the
field of economics.

     Testimony in support of Dr. Naya submitted to the Committee
indicates that he has brought a global perspective to the
department and that his longstanding experience and extensive
networks with the Asian Development Bank have allowed Hawaii
companies to access markets throughout Asia, in part due to the
high degree of respect many of American's trading partners hold
for Dr. Naya.  Dr. Naya has also been an active participant in
reducing the State's regulatory burden for business, and has
worked with a broad selection of public and private sector
agencies to support and promote Hawaii's business community.

     Supportive testimony was received from the Housing and
Community Development Corporation of Hawaii, the Hawaii Strategic
Development Corporation, the Small Business Task Force on
Regulatory Relief, the Kauai Economic Development Board, the
Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, the Hawaii State
Teachers Association, the Hawaii Congress of Small Business, the
Pacific Resource Partnership, the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of
Commerce, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Filipino Chamber
of Commerce, the Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce, the
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Kauai Electric and Citizens
Utilities Company, the Queen's Medical Center, the Waikiki
Improvement Association, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Hawaii Foundation,
the Estate of James Campbell, Hawaii Business Magazine, ten
private businesses, and twelve individuals.  Supportive comments
were also received from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

     Your Committee members diligently questioned the nominee on
his plans to encourage Hawaii's construction industry, his
response to proposed tax incentives for new businesses and the
impact of such tax breaks on current businesses, his programs for
small business, and his goals for the improvement of Hawaii's
business climate.  Based upon this discussion, your Committee
believes Dr. Naya has shown a commitment to bettering Hawaii's
economic condition, and a willingness to work with both the
public and private sector to accomplish his goals.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Economic Development that is attached to this
report, your Committee, after full consideration of the
background, character, experience, and qualifications of the
nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position
to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and
consent to the nomination.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1722
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                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Economic
                                   Development,



                                   ______________________________
                                   LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 
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