STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3676

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 22

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 22 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE "MADE IN HAWAII" AND "HAWAII MADE" BRANDS AND PREPARE A PLAN TO ENCOURAGE AND ENFORCE THE USE OF THOSE BRANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to conduct a study on the "Made in Hawaii" and "Hawaii Made" brands and prepare a plan to encourage and enforce the use of those brands.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that Act 2, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, created the "Hawaii Made" program and appropriated $150,000 out of the funds received by the State from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2 (Section 9901) to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) to promote the "Hawaii Made" brand. According to testimony received by your Committee, because the request for proposal (RFP) for services to conduct a study and to develop the "Hawaii Made" brand that DBEDT issued in January 2022 did not yield any response, a revised RFP was issued in March 2022, with a response due date in April. During the hearing, DBEDT confirmed that should there be no responses to the revised RFP, it may have to issue a third RFP with a revised scope of work that does not include the development of the "Hawaii Made" brand and, instead, work with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, who will be issuing an RPF for destination brand marketing and management services, to develop the "Hawaii Made" brand.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 22 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair