Eh brah, get choke bills moving fo’ repeal da Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) dis legislative session. House Bill 1375 an’ Senate Bill 1522, dey wen’ move forward, an’ could be one mean kine ride fo’ HTA since da state lawmakers wen’ bring ‘um to life back in 1998. ?
Wen da bills wen’ go to vote in da chambers wea dey came from, dey wen’ go fo’ approval o’ go to conference. Dey wen’ look fo’ change HTA’s mission fo’ be mo’ about taking care da ‘aina instead of jus’ promoting tourism, which wen’ be HTA’s main kuleana fo’ planny years. ?♂️
If da bills no pass an’ da state budget gotta fund HTA, dey in fo’ one rough ride cuz da current appropriation get only $35 million. Das mo’ than 50% cut from da $75 million dey wen’ ask fo’ dis legislative session. ?
HB 1375, wen’ go fo’ one $60 million appropriation fo’ make one Office of Tourism an’ Destination Management inside da Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). Da bill also give $64 million fo’ fix da leaky roof of da Hawai’i Convention Center. ?
Da bill get rid of HTA an’ da board of directors, an’ make one new nine-member board. It transfer all da kuleana, money, an’ positions to da Office of Tourism an’ Destination Management. Dey also cap da executive director’s salary at da same level as da DBEDT director’s pay. ?
Senate Bill 1522, wen’ go fo’ repeal HTA an’ make one Office of Destination Management inside DBEDT. Da bill also cap salaries fo’ HTA’s top two jobs. ?
Da two bills stay far from wen’ HTA wen’ first come out da Legislature. Dey wen’ support tourism wit’ money dat stay outside da scope of politics. Da money wen’ come from da newly created transient accommodations tax. ?
But, da HTA president wen’ tell lawmakers dat da new proposed entity remind him of “throwing da baby out but keeping da bathwater.” He wen’ say dat HTA wen’ adopt one strategic plan in 2020, an’ now get one good system in place fo’ work wit’ da local community an’ visitor industry. ?
HTA wen’ go thru planny challenges ova da years. Some local people stay still critical of tourism cuz dey blame ‘um fo’ high housing costs, traffic, ova-tourism, an’ damage to da environment. Dey also wen’ get some trouble wit’ awarding contracts fo’ promote US tourism. ?️
Da HTA president, da staff, an’ da board members wen’ support House Bill 1381 fo’ fund one study to find da best way fo’ run da tourism industry. But, da bill neva wen’ get one hearing. ?
Rep. Richard Onishi wen’ say, “I’m very disappointed dat da governance bill didn’t move. Dese bills seem to change da governance structure without knowing how dis kine structure would impact da tourism industry an’ da communities. I tink dey all worried in terms of wat going be da future.” ?
Da Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also wen’ voice concern about using tax money fo’ support da visitor industry.
NOW IN ENGLISH
? Major Overhaul for Hawaii Tourism Authority ?
There are two significant bills moving forward to repeal the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) during this legislative session. This could be one of the more contentious periods for HTA since state lawmakers established it in 1998. House Bill 1375 and Senate Bill 1522 have advanced, seeking to shift HTA’s statutory mission more toward stewardship of the home rather than tourism promotion, which had been HTA’s primary focus for many years. ?
Both bills faced votes in their respective chambers and could be approved or head to conference. They aimed to change HTA’s mission to focus more on taking care of the environment instead of just promoting tourism, which has been HTA’s main responsibility for many years. ?♂️
If neither bill is approved and the state budget has to fund HTA, they are in for a rough ride because the current appropriation is only $35 million. That’s more than a 50% cut from the $75 million they requested this legislative session. ?
HB 1375 allocated a $60 million appropriation to establish an Office of Tourism and Destination Management within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). The bill also provided $64 million to repair the leaky roof of the Hawai’i Convention Center. ?
The bill dissolved HTA and its board of directors, creating a new nine-member board. It transferred all responsibilities, funds, and positions to the Office of Tourism and Destination Management. They also capped the executive director’s salary at the same level as the DBEDT director’s pay. ?
Senate Bill 1522 aimed to repeal HTA and establish an Office of Destination Management within DBEDT. The bill also capped salaries for HTA’s top two positions. ?
The two bills were a far cry from when HTA was first established by the Legislature. They aimed to support tourism with funds that were outside the scope of politics. The money came from the newly created transient accommodations tax. ?
However, the HTA president told lawmakers that the new proposed entity reminded him of “throwing the baby out but keeping the bathwater.” He said that HTA adopted a strategic plan in 2020 and now had a good system in place to work with the local community and visitor industry. ?
HTA has faced many challenges over the years. Some locals are still critical of tourism because they blame it for high housing costs, traffic, over-tourism, and damage to the environment. They also had trouble awarding contracts for promoting US tourism. ?️
The HTA president, staff, and board members supported House Bill 1381 to fund a study to find the best way to run the tourism industry. However, the bill never received a hearing. ?
Rep. Richard Onishi said, “I’m very disappointed that the governance bill didn’t move. These bills seem to change the governance structure without knowing how this kind of structure would impact the tourism industry and the communities. I think they are all worried about what the future holds.” ?
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also voiced concern about using tax money to support the visitor industry.
