STAND. COM. REP. NO. 668

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1922

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1922, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CREATIVE MEDIA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to support Hawaii's creative media by:

     (1)  Creating financial incentives for and appropriating funds to the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii to develop plans for a permanent facility in Hawaii;

     (2)  Appropriating funds for a digital media incubator facility; and

     (3)  Establishing and appropriating funds for the Music and Enterprise Learning Experience (MELE) program at the University of Hawaii-Honolulu Community College to develop the technical business skills required by Hawaii's music artists and music industry.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences; Department of Taxation; University of Hawai‘i at Manoa; Enterprise Honolulu; Aloha Agency; COJODA Productions LLC; Ho‘ike Technology; Ho‘akea Communications; Pacific Islanders in Communications; SEE/RESCUE Corporation; Searider Productions; five faculty members and thirty-three students of the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa; and seventeen individuals provided written testimony in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's dynamic creative media sector is a significant contributor to the State's economy, in particular for the positive impact it is having on Hawaii's workforce and the creative options it offers for students.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Designating the University of Hawaii as the expending agency in section 4, relating to the Academy for Creative Media; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     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. 1922, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1922, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair