STAND. COM. REP. NO. 440

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1532

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 1532 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CULTURE AND ARTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Hawaii Leadership Award Program to honor individuals who have made considerable and outstanding contributions to Hawaii and serve as inspirations to others; and

(2) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Aloha Order of Merit was established to recognize national or international achievement in a field either by a single event or by the totality of work that has either been pioneering in that field or that has been outstanding in the long term. Innovators in various fields, from athletics to politics, art and music to science, have placed Hawaii in the international spotlight. To recognize and honor individuals who made considerable and outstanding contributions to the State, this measure establishes the Hawaii Leadership Award Program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Renaming the Hawaii Leadership Award Program to the Hawaii Leadership Awards Program;

(2) Clarifying the awards under the Hawaii Leadership Awards Program shall be presented annually;

(3) Adding the Lieutenant Governor as a presenting member of the Hawaii Leadership Awards Program alongside the Governor and members of the Hawaii Leadership Awards Selection Committee;

(4) Clarifying that no individual may receive more than one award each year nor more than one award in each category;

(5) Inserting a blank appropriation amount;

(6) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committee notes that the Senate Draft 1 of this measure contains an unspecified appropriation amount, and respectfully requests that your Committee on Ways and Means considers inserting an appropriation amount of $200,000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1532, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1532, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair