HB683

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in 2014, the sports market in North America was worth $60,500,000,000 and by 2020, it is expected to reach $75,700,000,000. In addition to spectator fees, the sports industry generates revenue in advertising, endorsements, media broadcast rights, and licensing. Hawaii hosts at least ten major national and international sporting events each year, including the Honolulu Marathon, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Molokai Hoe Canoe Race, the Xterra World Championship, the Ironman World Championship, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, and the PGA Tour Sony Open.

The legislature finds that from 1979 to 2008, Hawaii hosted the highly-successful annual all-star professional football game known as the National Football League Pro Bowl. Hawaii's streak of hosting thirty consecutive Pro Bowls at Aloha Stadium ended in 2009 when the game moved to Miami, Florida. In 2010, the Pro Bowl returned to Hawaii. However, in 2015, Hawaii lost the Pro Bowl for a second time when the game moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2016, the game has been played in Orlando, Florida, as part of a multi-year contract.

The legislature also finds that in addition to football, soccer is an attractive sport for Hawaii. The State has several prime venues, including the Waipio Peninsula soccer complex on Oahu. Soccer is played by more than two hundred fifty million players in more than two hundred countries worldwide, making it the world's most popular sport. In 2008, Hawaii hosted the Pan-Pacific Championship, a competition of top teams in Major League Soccer, the Japan Professional Football League, and the Australian A-League. The tournament's championship round at Aloha Stadium, featuring international soccer star David Beckham and Kamehameha Schools alumnus Brian Ching, drew over twenty-three thousand spectators, reportedly the largest soccer crowd ever to see a game in Hawaii. Fueled by the appearance of David Beckham, the tournament brought considerable media attention, including global telecasts, to Hawaii.

Hawaii has also embraced mixed martial arts, a full-contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques. The sport involves both standing and on-the-ground competition, and blends boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo, and other martial arts styles. Mixed martial arts events have drawn capacity crowds to the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. A 2004 Rumble-on-the-Rock fight card featuring Hilo's B.J. Penn drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than eight thousand spectators. The prestigious Ultimate Fighting Championship organization has never staged a match in Hawaii, but the idea has been proposed many times.

Numerous other sporting events have also been held in Hawaii, including golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, sailing championships, the Ironman World Championship, the Honolulu Marathon, National Basketball Association games, minor league baseball games, and professional wrestling matches.

The legislature finds that there is significant room for growth in the Hawaii sports industry and that attracting more sporting events to Hawaii will increase visitor arrivals and expenditures.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to create the Hawaii sports task force within the department of business, economic development, and tourism to plan and coordinate efforts to:

(1) Bring the National Football League Pro Bowl back to Hawaii; and

(2) Establish Hawaii as a host site for sporting and sports entertainment events, including a National Football League preseason game, world-title soccer tournaments at aloha stadium, and mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments at Aloha Stadium.

SECTION 2. (a) There shall be established within the department of business, economic development, and tourism, the Hawaii sports task force. The task force shall plan and coordinate efforts to:

(1) Reestablish Hawaii as the host site for the National Football League's annual Pro Bowl;

(2) Establish Hawaii as a host site for a National Football League preseason game, world-title soccer tournaments, mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments, and other international sporting events at Aloha Stadium; and

(3) Establish and maintain Hawaii as a host site for other sporting and sports entertainment events statewide including but not limited to golf tournaments, kickboxing events, professional wrestling events, motocross races, tennis tournaments, beach volleyball tournaments, sailboat races, marathons, triathlons, and cycling events.

The task force shall make recommendations to the legislature on addressing any issue that the task force determines is feasible to address in accordance with this Act.

(b) The Hawaii sports task force shall meet quarterly at a place and time to be determined by the chair of the task force. The task force shall be dissolved on January 5, 2020.

(c) The department of business, economic development, and tourism shall provide administrative support, including the recording of minutes, to the Hawaii sports task force.

(d) The director of business, economic development, and tourism shall be the chair of the Hawaii sports task force. The task force shall include the following members or their designees:

(1) The governor;

(2) The mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, and the mayors of the counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii;

(3) The chair of the stadium authority;

(4) The comptroller;

(5) The president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii tourism authority;

(6) An individual, who resides in the county of Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii, representing the hotel and tourism industry in Hawaii, to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(7) An individual, who resides in the county of Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii, representing the hotel and tourism industry in Hawaii, to be appointed by the president of the senate;

(8) One member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(9) One member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate; and

(10) A representative from the economic development board of each county;

provided that the president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and a Hawaiian cultural specialist shall also be invited to be members of the task force.

The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, and all necessary expenses, including travel expenses, shall be paid by the agency, organization, or department to which the member belongs. No member shall be made subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation as a member of the task force.

(e) The Hawaii sports task force, in conjunction with the department of business, economic development, and tourism, shall submit a report to the legislature with findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to:

(1) Reestablish Hawaii as the host site for the National Football League's annual Pro Bowl;

(3) Establish and maintain Hawaii as a host site for other sporting and sports entertainment events statewide including, but not limited to, golf tournaments, kickboxing events, professional wrestling events, motocross races, tennis tournaments, beach volleyball tournaments, sailboat races, marathons, triathlons, and cycling events,

no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2020.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2019, and shall be repealed on January 5, 2020.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	683
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII