THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	78
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO CREATE ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PERMANENT JOBS IN THE STATE BY 2022.

WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic, based on the large number of cases diagnosed globally; and

WHEREAS, to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 and to reduce the number of people exposed to the virus, Governor David Ige issued a stay-at-home order that was in place from March 25, 2020, through May 5, 2020; and

WHEREAS, while the stay-at-home order and other measures have helped to control the spread of COVID-19 in the State, these measures have had a detrimental effect on many sectors of Hawaii's economy; and

WHEREAS, according to the most recent report from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii's unemployment rate is currently 22.3 percent; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism projects that Hawaii's gross domestic product will drop by 12.1 percent in 2020; and

WHEREAS, the department also estimates that it will take two years for local businesses to recover and to operate again at pre-COVID-19 levels; and

WHEREAS, economists from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization predict that more than twenty-five thousand residents will be forced to leave Hawaii by 2022 due to the State's poor economic outlook and lack of sustainable employment; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to work in conjunction with the Legislature to create one hundred thousand permanent jobs in the State by 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is urged to submit to the Legislature a report of its recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

Report Title:

Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Job Creation; COVID-19