THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	13
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS TO IMPROVE JOB CREATION AND BUSINESS CLIMATE.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Forbes Magazine ranked Hawaii the "Worst State to Make a Living In" for 2014, quantifying the financial hardships of Hawaii residents; and

 

     WHEREAS, CNBC ranked Hawaii forty ninth in its review of "America's Top States for Business in 2014", up just one notch from Hawaii's 2013 last place finish; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii earned an F grade in overall business friendliness in the 2013 Thumbtack.com Small Business Survey, in Partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, with its tax code garnering the State's worst grade among several categories including environmental, licensing, zoning, and others – none of which earned better than a D grade; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and its attached agencies are requested to set goals for Hawaii to improve job creation and business climate; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to develop strategies and an implementation plan to diversify Hawaii's economy beyond its current concentration in tourism, military, and construction; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to identify new industries that may be targeted for relocation or investment in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to identify incentives for new industries to enter Hawaii, create jobs, and reverse current trends of skilled, knowledgeable workers leaving Hawaii for employment elsewhere; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to provide an oral presentation on the goals of the Department and its attached agencies to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to submit a report of the goals of the Department and its attached agencies, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Report Title: 

Job Creation; Economic Diversification; Incentives; Business