Report Title:

Aloha Aina Patrol; Established

Description:

Establishes an aloha aina patrol function within the police department of all counties having an excess of 500,000 population, to provide security and assistance to tourists, and to act as ambassadors of aloha; pilot program to sunset 6/30/07; makes grant-in-aid appropriation out of transient accommodations tax trust fund.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2614

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to an aloha aina patrol.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Chapter 52D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§52D-   Aloha aina patrol. (a) In any county having a population of five hundred thousand or more, the chief of police of that county shall have the responsibility to establish an aloha aina patrol for that county. The general purpose of the patrol is to provide security and assistance to tourists, with the intent of acting as an ambassador of aloha. The aloha aina patrol shall concentrate its work in areas of high tourist traffic, as determined in conjunction with the Hawaii tourism authority, as being geographic areas in need of additional security to augment normal police services. The aloha aina patrol shall not wear police uniforms.

(b) The staffing for the aloha aina patrol shall include personnel from the police service employees and the cadet program.

(c) The aloha aina patrol shall be funded through moneys in the transient accommodations tax trust fund under section 237D-5.5 as a grant-in-aid to the county."

SECTION 2. Section 237D-5.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

"(c) The purpose of the trust fund is to [serve]:

(1) Serve as a holding account for transient accommodations tax revenues to supplement shortfalls in the tourism special fund, if the tourism special fund does not receive $63,292,000 in transient accommodations tax revenues as provided in this section[.]; and

(2) Provide a dedicated source of revenue to the counties for the operational expenses of the aloha aina patrol under section 52D-  ."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the transient accommodations tax trust fund the sum of $839,608, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005, as a grant-in-aid to the city and county of Honolulu for start-up costs and operational expenses, including but not limited to purchase of uniforms and equipment, of the aloha aina program established pursuant to section 52D-  , Hawaii Revised Statutes.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the city and county of Honolulu for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2004, and shall be repealed on June 30, 2007; provided that section 237D-5.5(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be reenacted in the form in which it read on June 30, 2004.

INTRODUCED BY:

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