CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 146-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2014

RE:    H.B. No. 1692

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1692, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TOURISM,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose and intent of this measure is to adopt the recommendations made by the Auditor in Report No. 13-09 to improve the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Requires the Authority's tourism marketing plan to be a single, comprehensive document;

     (2)  Defines the "Hawaii brand" as the programs that collectively differentiate the Hawaii experience from other destinations;

     (3)  Requires the Hawaii Tourism Authority to have a permanent, strong focus on Hawaii brand management, rather than marketing and promotion;

     (4)  Authorizes the Hawaii Tourism Authority to withhold competitively sensitive information from public disclosure; and

     (5)  Requires the Hawaii Tourism Authority to include its tourism marketing plan along with program and expenditure information in its annual report to the Legislature.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing the requirement that the Hawaii Tourism Authority include its tourism marketing plan in its annual report to the Legislature; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to upon its approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1692, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1692, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ GILBERT KAHELE, Chair	____________________________ TOM BROWER, Co-Chair
____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Co-Chair	____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Co-Chair