STAND. COM. REP. NO. 222-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2608

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Tourism and Culture and Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2608 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve the overall efficiency of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). Among other things, this bill:

(1) Allows HTA to retain its own attorney until June 30, 2006;

(2) Allows HTA to have control over its own accounts, thereby giving it the same standing as the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii;

(3) Exempts the executive director from the state retirement system;

(4) Increases the limit to be used for HTA's administrative expenses from 3.5 to 5 percent of the Tourism Special Fund (Fund);

(5) Changes the executive director's compensation package formula to not exceed 9 percent, rather than 15 percent of the 5 percent of Fund moneys authorized for administrative expenses;

(6) Authorizes the hiring of a sports coordinator to provide management services for all sporting events supported through HTA;

(7) Specifies that all interest and revenues or receipts derived by HTA from any project or project agreements shall be deposited into the Fund; and

(8) Appropriates $8,000,000 from the Fund to enable HTA to correct a fiscal shortfall caused by the requirement that HTA fund 18 months of a HVCB contract with 12 months of funding.

HTA testified in support of this measure. The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Department of the Attorney General opposed this measure.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Tourism and Culture and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2608 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Tourism and Culture and Judiciary,

 

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair