STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3152

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 162

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 162 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING HAWAII'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO REQUEST THAT THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GLOBAL CHANGE OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROPOSE TO THE CONFERENCE OF PARTIES FOR THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE THAT THE UNITED STATES HOST THE 2015 UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN HONOLULU, HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge Hawaii's Congressional delegation to request that the Director of the Office of Global Change of the United States Department of State propose to the Conference of Parties for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that the United States host the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Honolulu.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and one individual.

     The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference is a meeting of approximately 195 international parties and their contingencies.  The parties to the framework comprise the authorized decision-making body that reviews and promotes the implementation of the convention and any other legal instruments that the parties adopt.  Your Committee finds that holding this conference in Honolulu will reinforce Hawaii's ability to host international conferences in a central meeting place and allow Hawaii's leaders, researchers, scientists, businesses, and communities to be involved in this international meeting on a topic that is truly global in nature.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding Rio de Janeiro as a possible site of the 2015 convention, based on testimony.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 162, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 162, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and International Affairs,

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair