Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3192, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a process for initiating and maintaining sister state and province relationships between the State of Hawaii and a state or province or similar governmental political subdivision of a foreign nation.

Specifically, this bill statutorily establishes the Hawaii Sister State Committee, to be placed within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for administrative purposes, consisting of five members to evaluate and develop recommendations for the initiation of all sister state or province relationships for the Legislature. The five members are to be appointed by the Governor from each of five lists of nominees submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, a Native Hawaii cultural organization, the East-West Center, and the Hawaii State Association of Counties.

Your Committee believes that this bill will facilitate a more efficient process of establishing fruitful sister state and province relationships. However, your Committee wishes to note that an appropriate organization will be identified in the future to serve as the "Native Hawaii cultural organization" as one of the entities submitting a list of nominees for membership on the Hawaii Sister State Committee.

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. 3192, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.