RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, local, national, and international economic, social, and political events have drastically curtailed the amount of travel by individuals throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, rising operating costs for carriers, newly implemented and mandated costly security measures, and increased travel apathy have contributed toward an overall depression in travel and commerce; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii has endured especially severe consequences due to its reliance on tourism and general geographic location; and

WHEREAS, these challenging times often create opportunities to develop and adopt innovative technologies and systems to deal with current hardships; and

WHEREAS, one way to increase the level of travel, particularly international travel, is to adopt a system that facilitates the granting of visas to international travelers to the United States, while ensuring local and national security; and

WHEREAS, technology currently exists in the form of a "smart card" that can provide a mechanism by which a visa can be granted electronically to an individual in a foreign jurisdiction and stored on the smart card; and

WHEREAS, the smart card will also store the biographical data of the owner to ensure that the grantee of the visa and the owner of the smart card are the same individual; and

WHEREAS, this smart card would essentially serve as an electronic visa, or "eVisa", that provides easy tracking of foreign visitors to the United States, including the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, an eVisa system may provide cost and procedural efficiencies that are greater than what is currently provided, provide additional measures to ensure local and national security, and increase the level of international travel and commerce to the benefit of local, national, and international economies; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, the Department of Homeland Security and its Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the participation of the State of Hawaii's congressional delegation and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, are respectfully requested to study the feasibility of developing and implementing an electronic visa system for international travelers to the United States, including the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Director of Homeland Security, Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the State of Hawaii's congressional delegation, and the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Report Title:

Electronic Visa System