STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3197

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 5

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Economic Development and Taxation, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 5 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE INTERFAITH STEERING COMMITTEE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish the statewide Interfaith Steering Committee to explore the possibility of organizing a major international interfaith conference in Hawaii to take place by 2011.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the All Believers Network, the Board of Directors of Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii, Unity Church of Hawaii, and The Interfaith Open Table.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) submitted comments.

     Your Committee is supportive of the general concept of this measure, but agrees with DBEDT that it may not be the appropriate entity to undertake the establishment of the statewide Interfaith Steering Committee.

     Your Committee has amended this measure accordingly, by:

     (1)  Amending the title to read:

          "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE ALL BELIEVERS NETWORK TO ESTABLISH THE STATEWIDE INTERFAITH STEERING COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF ORGANIZING A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH CONFERENCE IN HAWAII TO TAKE PLACE BY 2011;"

     (2)  Amending the body of this measure to reflect this change;

     (3)  Requesting the statewide Interfaith Steering Committee to convey to the Legislature no later than December 2010, the results of its efforts to organize a major international interfaith conference in Hawaii to take place by 2011; and

     (4)  Transmitting a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution to the All Believers Network, with the All Believers Network to transmit copies to the various religious and interfaith organizations and groups named in this measure.

     Your Committee believes that requesting the All Believers Network to transmit copies of this measure to the various religious and interfaith organizations and groups will provide the All Believers Network with an ideal means to ask for the participation of these entities on the statewide Interfaith Steering Committee.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development and Taxation that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 5, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 5, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development and Taxation,

____________________________

CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair