THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            22
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A HAWAII
    FILM INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM.
 


 1        WHEREAS, in 1998, television series and pilots filmed in
 2   Hawaii generated $99,100,000 in expenditures in the State -- an
 3   increase of forty percent from $70,700,000 spent in 1997; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, in 1998, three television series -- two American
 6   and one Japanese -- accounted for $28,200,000 of these
 7   expenditures in Hawaii; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, the television series "Baywatch" is filming
10   twenty-two episodes in Hawaii, increasing not only direct film
11   company expenditures, but providing worldwide exposure through
12   initial airings and future reruns of these episodes; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, feature film production crews spent $12,640,000
15   in Hawaii in 1998 -- a drop from the previous year's
16   expenditures of $22,650,000 -- but still a significant
17   contribution to the local economy; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, as a result of these expenditures, Hawaii
20   collected $18,200,000 in state and local tax revenues for 1998;
21   and
22   
23        WHEREAS, the film industry provides many benefits to
24   Hawaii in the form of employment for residents, income for
25   local supply companies -- as well as the additional taxes
26   generated as a result -- and free publicity on the U.S.
27   mainland and in foreign countries that can attract visitors to
28   Hawaii; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, the State has a strong incentive to attract
31   additional film productions and to assist the local film
32   industry in a fiercely competitive global market; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, in 1999, the Texas legislature, recognizing the
35   importance of the film industry in that state, passed

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            22
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   legislation establishing a film industry development loan
 2   guarantee program to facilitate access to capital for the
 3   production of filmed entertainment in Texas; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, such a program could be beneficial for the Hawaii
 6   film industry and, in turn, for the State as a whole; now,
 7   therefore,
 8   
 9        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
10   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
11   Representatives concurring, that the Legislative Reference
12   Bureau is requested to conduct a study on the feasibility of
13   establishing a Hawaii film industry development loan guarantee
14   program; and
15   
16        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this study shall include:
17   
18        (1)  A review of similar programs in other jurisdictions,
19             including the recently established Texas film
20             industry development loan guarantee program;
21   
22        (2)  An assessment of which current or prospective
23             segments of the Hawaii film industry would benefit
24             most from a loan guarantee program;
25   
26        (3)  The projected costs of administering such a program;
27             and
28   
29        (4)  Any additional considerations that may arise as a
30             result of the study;
31   
32   and
33   
34        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference
35   Bureau shall report to the Legislature twenty days prior to the
36   convening of the Regular Session of 2001, on its findings and
37   recommendations, including any recommended legislation
38   necessary to establish a Hawaii film industry development loan
39   guarantee program; and
40   
41        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
42   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the

 
 
 
 
 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            22
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Legislature Reference Bureau and the Director of Business,
 2   Economic Development, and Tourism.
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________