HB1963

SECTION 1. Act 357 of 1989 was meant to initiate a study of the carrying capacity of the State to the year 2010 in light of visitor and resident population projections. The study may have included, but was not limited to: infrastructure, social issues, economic issues, environmental issues, and safety issues.

The purpose of Act 357 of 1989 represents the ongoing importance for integrated study, planning, and development from which Hawaii residents may benefit. Specifically, city, county, and state government plans and developments must cooperate to solve tourism and residential issues including infrastructure, social issues, economic issues, environmental issues, and safety issues.

Since tourism is a primary economic pillar in this state, a master plan utilizing reliable and cooperative intergovernmental and interdepartmental studies and plans that respond to the actual carrying capacity of the state is necessary to support tourism and residential issues. The purpose of Act 357 was to initiate a study of the carrying capacity of the State to the year 2010 in light of visitor and resident population.

The purpose of this Act is to initiate a State plan to support tourism and residential issues around the carrying capacity of the State. Specifically, to initiate a "Tourism Master Plan of 2007" with which the city, county, and state government uses as a central mechanism for plans and developments to address and solve tourism and residential issues including infrastructure, social issues, economic issues, environmental issues, and safety issues.

SECTION 2. Tourism Master Plan of 2007 task force; establishment; membership; appointment; compensation; duties. (a) There is established a Tourism Master Plan of 2007 task force to review the Hawaii state plan and other fundamental components of community planning. The task force shall consist of fourteen members as follows:

(1) Two members from each house of the legislature, appointed by the presiding officer of each house;

(2) A representative of the governor appointed by the governor;

(3) The five directors of the departments of business economic development and tourism, commerce and consumer affairs, land and natural resources, transportation, and the state office of planning or the directors' designees;

(4) Two members from the University of Hawaii's school of urban and regional planning to be appointed by the president of the University of Hawaii; and

(5) The departmental director of each respective county's planning department or agency or the director's designee.

(b) The state office of planning shall assist the task force in performing its duties as required under this Act, including the compilation of the report and plan mandated by sections 3 and 4 of this Act, respectively. In carrying out its duties under this Act, the task force may also request staff assistance from the department of budget and finance; department of business, economic development, and tourism; department of transportation; department of land and natural resources; and other appropriate state and county agencies including the budget and fiscal services department, community services department, environmental services department, Honolulu fire department, parks and recreation department, planning and permitting department, Honolulu police department, transportation services department.

(c) The members of the task force shall select the chairperson of the task force and shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses necessary for the performance of their duties.

(d) The task force shall review, solicit input on, and develop recommendations to create the Tourism Master Plan of 2007 to ensure its relevance as a guide for the future long-term development of the State, and report to the legislature and the governor on creating the plan. The task force shall also submit recommendations that include, but are not limited to:

(1) Whether the goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for the State as envisioned in the Hawaii state plan and the quality growth policy developed pursuant to chapter 223, Hawaii Revised Statutes, are in need of amendment;

(2) Whether the existing bases for determining priorities and allocating limited resources, such as public funds, services, human resources, land, energy, water, and other resources, and improving coordination of federal, state, and county plans, policies, programs, projects, and regulatory activities are adequate and if not, a recommendation on how to improve them;

(3) A listing of Hawaii's inherent economic assets and how best to utilize those assets to define Hawaii's role in global economy;

(4) How to forecast tourism related vocational needs within the State and direct the education and training of Hawaii's workforce to ensure that Hawaii residents learn marketable skills in secondary school, university, and adult training programs;

(5) The development of a framework to ensure that traffic congestion, pollution, and other adverse effects caused by population and economic growth are mitigated;

(6) An assessment of the tools needed for the private sector to better compete in the global economy and the means to improve Hawaii's balance of trade by increasing exports and reducing imports and whether these tools would have any adverse economic or environmental impact on the State and its residents; and

(7) How best to engage the community in a public discussion to achieve a consensus on the State's preferred future, and coordinate the actions needed to sustain a growing and vibrant economy while maintaining a high quality of life for all residents and visitors.

The task force shall develop criteria or benchmarks as necessary to assist in the development of measuring incremental compliance with task force recommendations enacted into law or adopted as policies by governmental agencies and in guiding budgetary priorities.

SECTION 3. Report. The office of planning shall submit the task force report on its recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the regular session of 2008.

SECTION 4. Tourism Master Plan of 2007. (a) After receipt of the task force's report, the office of planning shall prepare the Tourism Master Plan of 2007. The plan shall be prepared to define and implement state goals, objectives, policies, and priority guidelines using sections 226-3 to 226-27 as guiding principles. The office of planning shall seek input from all state departments. The office of planning shall also solicit public views and concerns in preparation of the plan and shall incorporate all or a portion of the recommendations reported by the Tourism Master Plan of 2007 task force.

The plan shall serve as guidelines for funding and implementation by state and county agencies.

(b) The office of planning shall submit the sustainability plan, and any implementing legislation, if any, to the legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $54,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the creation of a Tourism Master Plan which utilizes available, reliable, and cooperative intergovernmental and interdepartmental studies and plans that respond to the actual carrying capacity of the state in order to support tourism and residential issues.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business and economic development for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1963
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII