CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 205

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1578

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1578, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS,"

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 of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the official designation of the East-West Center as the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, Inc.;

(2) Exempt state fund appropriations to the East-West Center from chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3) Rename the Hawaii Sister-State Committee to the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission and amends its functions and membership;

(4) Require the Office of International Affairs to provide support to the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission;

(5) Expand the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism's authority to:

(A) Establish out‑of‑state offices to include out-of-state facilities to support sister-state or province partnerships and other partnerships that promote and enrich the people, cultures, environments, and economies of the State and its international partners;

(B) Generate revenue for the State; and

(C) Buy property; and

(6) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee on Conference finds that interstate partnerships are extremely valuable to the economic, sociopolitical, and cultural growth of the State. Your Committee on Conference further finds that updating the names, functions, and authority of a broad spectrum of entities relating to various forms of partnership involving the State is an appropriate way to promote further growth and embrace an increasingly transnational world.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that to receive state funds, the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, Inc. shall agree to not use the funds for entertainment or lobbying activities in the State;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $200,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium for the Office of International Affairs to develop a strategy for international engagement and an analysis of potential investment and revenue generation abroad;

(3) Inserting an appropriation amount of $4,000,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium for the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, Inc. to assist in the development and maintenance of the State's international relationships, programs, and partnerships; and

(4) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2025.

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 S.B. No. 1578, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1578, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ GREGGOR ILAGAN Co-Chair	____________________________ CHRIS LEE Chair
____________________________ JENNA TAKENOUCHI Co-Chair	____________________________ LYNN DECOITE Co-Chair
	____________________________ TROY N. HASHIMOTO Co-Chair