STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1610

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.C.R. No. 192

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 192 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO ESTABLISH A TOURISM AND GAMING WORKING GROUP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish a Tourism and Gaming Working Group.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Aloha Hālawa District Partners; and Boyd Gaming. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu; Nation of Hawaiʻi; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Your Committee finds that gaming activities have the potential to spur economic growth and provide the State with a significant source of tax revenue. While your Committee recognizes the benefit of having a working group consider opportunities for economic growth related to tourism and gaming, your Committee finds that there is a more pressing need to identify economic development initiatives that can benefit Native Hawaiians, with gaming as one potential pathway for such economic development.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the name of the Working Group to the Native Hawaiian Economic Development Working Group;

(2) Amending the membership of the Working Group;

(3) Changing the requested tasks of the Working Group to identifying economic development opportunities that directly benefit Native Hawaiians and considering gaming as one pathway to spur economic opportunity for Native Hawaiians;

(4) Removing the President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming Corporation, Chief Executive Officer of DraftKings, Inc., and Chief Executive Officer of BetMGM from the list of recipients of certified copies of this measure;

(5) Amending its title in accordance with its amended purpose; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 192, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Tourism in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 192, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,

____________________________

GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair