SB545.DOC

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	545
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the festival of pacific arts has been held approximately every four years since its founding in 1972, bringing together a delegation of at least two thousand five hundred artists, performers, and cultural practitioners from different nations in Oceania to preserve and perpetuate the arts and culture of their indigenous peoples. The festival of pacific arts is the largest gathering in which Pacific peoples unite to respect and appreciate one another, and during the festival, delegations from twenty-seven Pacific island nations and territories share and exchange their cultures. Visitors from around the world come to the festival of pacific arts to appreciate what the artists, performers, cultural practitioners, and host country have to offer, thereby creating a global market for art, ideas, and products.

The legislature further finds that the first festival of pacific arts was held in Fiji in 1972, followed by New Zealand in 1976, Papua New Guinea in 1980, French Polynesia in 1985, Australia in 1988, the Cook Islands in 1992, Samoa in 1996, New Caledonia in 2000, Palau in 2004, American Samoa in 2008, Solomon Islands in 2012, and Guam in 2016. Hawai‘i has finally been selected to host the thirteenth festival of pacific arts in 2020, since Hawai‘i delegations have attended every festival since 1976.

The purpose of this Act is to create a temporary commission on the thirteenth festival of pacific arts to plan for the historic event to be held in Honolulu from June 11 to June 27, 2020.

SECTION 2. (a) For purposes of this Act, the term "commission" means the temporary commission on the thirteenth festival of pacific arts.

(b) The commission shall be placed within the department of business, economic development, and tourism for administrative purposes.

(1) The governor or the governor's designee;

(2) The president of the senate or the president's designee;

(3) The speaker of the house of representatives or the speaker's designee;

(4) The director of business, economic development, and tourism or the director's designee;

(5) The chief executive officer of the office of Hawaiian affairs;

(6) The executive director of the PA‘I Foundation, who shall serve as chairperson of the commission;

(7) Two members who shall be selected by the chairperson on the basis of their interests and knowledge in, and ability to make contributions to, the work of the commission; and

(8) No more than three additional members who shall be selected by the chairperson to facilitate the work of the commission.

(d) The chairperson of the commission shall be solely responsible for making all arrangements for the festival of pacific arts, including appointing committees and delegating duties to the committees.

(e) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.

SECTION 3. The commission:

(1) Shall serve as the coordinating agency for all state-sponsored and other celebration events staged during the celebration period as designated by the chairperson to assure activities planned are timely and appropriate to commemorate the thirteenth festival of pacific arts;

(2) Shall solicit funding from private and public sources, including Pua Ali‘i ‘Ilima or the PA‘I Foundation, for purposes of paragraph (1);

(3) May accept appropriations from the State, counties, foreign governments, intergovernmental agencies, and non-governmental agencies for purposes of paragraph (1); and

(4) May accept donations of money and personal property from private and public sources; provided that all such donations are recorded and appropriately accounted for.

SECTION 4. The commission shall cease to exist on June 30, 2021.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________