STAND. COM. REP. NO.3585

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.C.R. No. 48

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 48 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ESTABLISH SISTER-STATE EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL, AND ECONOMIC EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE STATE OF HAWAII AND THE PROVINCE OF ILOCOS SUR OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Governor and the President of the University of Hawaii to establish sister-state educational, cultural, and economic development exchanges between the State of Hawaii and the Province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Ilocos Surian Association of Hawaii. The University of Hawaii submitted comments.

Your Committees have heard that currently there are sixty sister relationships between the State and counties of Hawaii and various other geographic regions. In an effort to determine the status of these sister relationships, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism has organized a conference to be held in July 2002, and expects about twenty of these sister-affiliated regions to attend.

Your Committees recognize that sister affiliations may provide many benefits for those involved, but also that they may evolve over time. Your Committees commend the efforts to determine how better to encourage and promote successful sister affiliations at both the State and county level, and urge the Department to use this opportunity to determine if there are sister affiliations that should be dissolved for any reason, and to report annually to the Legislature on the status of the affiliations.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 48, and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education,

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NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair