CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 115-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2010

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2010, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to change provisions of the law relating to tourism.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Renames the convention center enterprise special fund as the convention center operations and maintenance special fund;

(2) Inserts a cap of $6,000,000 on the convention center operations and maintenance special fund and authorizes expenditures from the fund for the salaries of Convention Center personnel;

(3) Amends the authorized uses of the tourism special fund and caps expenditures from the fund for certain purposes;

(4) Amends the allocation of transient accommodations tax revenue;

(5) Requires the Department of Budget and Finance to cancel the reimbursable general obligation bond debt relating to the Convention Center that is owed by the Hawaii Tourism Authority; and

(6) Makes conforming amendments.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with provisions to:

(1) Cancel the debt and liabilities owed to the State by the Hawaii Tourism Authority for Convention Center construction costs and related interest;

(2) Relieve the convention center enterprise special fund from paying debts owed to the Department of Budget and Finance;

(3) Reduce the allocation of transient accommodations tax revenues to the convention center enterprise special fund from $26,500,000 to $16,500,000;

(4) Reduce the allocation of transient accommodations tax revenues to the tourism special fund from $82,000,000 to $79,000,000; and

(5) Appropriate moneys for the Hawaii Tourism Authority to implement initiatives, in conjunction with the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, to address homelessness in tourist and resort areas; provided that the funds are matched dollar-for-dollar by the private sector.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2010, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2010, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Chair	____________________________ RICHARD H.K. ONISHI Co-Chair
____________________________ LAURA H. THIELEN Co-Chair	____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE Co-Chair
____________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE Co-Chair