STAND. COM. REP. NO. 89

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 596

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 596 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal language that has been interpreted to allow board members of the Hawaii Tourism Authority to hold office until the member's successor is appointed and qualified. Instead, it prohibits holdover board members from holding office beyond the end of the second regular session following the expiration of the board member's term of office.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that holdover limitations for board members of the Hawaii Tourism Authority are important to reduce redundancy and limit the power and scope of members whose terms of office have expired. Your Committee also finds that the holdover limitations in section 26-34(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, that allow a holdover member to potentially continue in office until the end of the second regular legislative session following the expiration of the member's term of office are too long and counterproductive. Therefore, your Committee finds that any holdover on the board of the Hawaii Tourism Authority should be limited to the beginning of the next regular legislative session following the expiration of the member's term of office.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the holdover limitations subject to section 26-34(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) Limiting the holdover status of a Hawaii Tourism Authority board members from holding office beyond commencement of the next regular legislative session, following the expiration of the member's term.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 596, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 596, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair