STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3181

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 56

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing, to which was referred S.R. No. 56 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL TO APPLY FOR DECLARATION OF WHITMORE VILLAGE IN CENTRAL OAHU AS A STATE ENTERPRISE ZONE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Honolulu City Council to apply for declaration of Whitmore Village in central Oahu as a state enterprise zone.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Hawaii Farm Bureau.

     Your Committees find that the state enterprise zones program was established to stimulate business and industrial growth in economically disadvantaged areas of the State by providing regulatory flexibility and tax incentives.  It is vital to the State's future to encourage economic growth and diversity in rural areas, such as central Oahu's Whitmore Village.  The inclusion of Whitmore Village in the state enterprise zones program will allow future legislation to be directed to steer economic development, including jobs, housing, emerging industries, and education, to the leeward side of Oahu.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting additional language regarding the inclusion of Whitmore Village in the existing Enterprise Zone No. 2 in the City and County of Honolulu;

     (2)  Amending the title to read:  "URGING THE HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL TO APPLY FOR INCLUSION OF WHITMORE VILLAGE IN CENTRAL OAHU IN THE EXISTING ENTERPRISE ZONE NO. 2 (MILILANI TECH PARK AND PARTS OF WAHIAWA)"; and

     (3)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 56, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 56, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing,

____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair