THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            126
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE USE OF THE HAWAII CONVENTION CENTER BY HAWAII
    STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.



 1        WHEREAS, the Hawaii Convention Center opened in the summer
 2   of 1998 and cost $350 million to construct; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, currently, the Hawaii Convention Center does not
 5   accommodate groups of less than 500 persons and gives first
 6   priority for reservations to conventions and trade shows which
 7   are international, national or regional in nature and have a
 8   significant impact in terms of hotel tax generated; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, the Hawaii Convention Center was designed with
11   input from convention planners to ensure that it offers the
12   utmost in convenience, flexibility, and state-of-the-art
13   features; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, the high technology featured in the Hawaii
16   Convention Center, such as simultaneous multi-lingual
17   translation in all major meeting rooms, satellite up and down
18   link capability, and a press room which can be arranged to
19   provide global links to any country in the world, enables users
20   to access all aspects of the global community easily; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, Hawaii's geographic situation as an island state
23   requires extra efforts to be made in communicating with people
24   overseas; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, Hawaii state and county government agencies must
27   often conduct business interstate, nationally, and
28   internationally; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, currently, Hawaii state and county officials do
31   not have access to many high technologies and must spend extra
32   time and money in extensive travel to places to conduct
33   business; and
34   
35        WHEREAS, satellite and global linkage technologies located
36   within the Hawaii Convention Center provide a faster and more

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            126
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   economical method of communicating with distant places; now,
 2   therefore,
 3   
 4        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 5   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
 6   Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii Convention Center,
 7   through its booking agents, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention
 8   Bureau and SMG, is requested to allow Hawaii state and county
 9   government agencies to use the facilities of the Hawaii
10   Convention Center when conducting government business; and
11   
12        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Convention Center
13   and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau are requested not
14   to charge the Hawaii state and county government agencies a fee
15   for using the Hawaii Convention Center facilities; and
16   
17        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
18   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii Convention
19   Center, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the directors of
20   each state department, and the mayors of each county.
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24                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________