STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1151

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 364

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Ways and Means and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 364, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish the professional tour guide certification task force within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

Your Committees received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and three individuals.

Your Committees received written comments on this measure from the University of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that, because tour guide certification could help to increase tourism in the State, a professional tour guide certification task force is appropriate to examine the issue of tour guide certification. Your Committees further find that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is the appropriate entity in which to place the task force.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Providing that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, rather than the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, shall be the agency in which the professional tour guide certification task force is placed and the expending agency for the appropriation;

(2) Changing the membership of the task force;

(3) Changing the head of the task force from a chairperson to two co-chairs;

(4) Changing the preliminary report deadline from October 31, 2020, to November 30, 2019;

(5) Changing the final report deadline from twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2021, to twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2020;

(6) Deleting the appropriation for fiscal year 2020-2021; and

(7) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Ways and Means and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 364, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 364, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Ways and Means and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair