STAND. COM. REP. 3229

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2608

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2608, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the operational and financial efficiency of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Allows the Hawaii Tourism Authority to appoint or retain by contract attorneys for contract negotiations in which the attorney general lacks sufficient expertise;

(2) Exempts the Hawaii Tourism Authority's accounts, from the supervision of the Comptroller;

(3) Provides that the Executive Director of Hawaii Tourism Authority is exempt from the employee's retirement system and revises the compensation package from fifteen per cent of the 3.5 per cent of administrative expenses to nine per cent of the five per cent so authorized;

(4) Authorizes the Hawaii Tourism Authority to appoint a sports coordinator to manage sporting events sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority;

(5) Requires all interest and revenues or receipts derived by the Hawaii Tourism Authority from any project or project agreements to be deposited into the tourism special fund;

(6) Increases the amount that the Hawaii Tourism Authority may expend for administrative expenses from 3.5 per cent to five per cent of the tourism special fund; and

(7) Appropriates $8,000,000 from the tourism special fund to improve the operational and financial efficiency of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Your Committee finds that as tourism is critical to the Hawaii economy, it is necessary to improve the operational and financial efficiency of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

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 H.B. No. 2608, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair