Bill Text: HI HB917 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 917

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating To Sports.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [HB917 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-HB917-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	917
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO SPORTS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that, according to Statista, the sports market in North America was worth $71,060,000,000 in 2018 and is expected to reach $83,100,000,000 by 2023. In addition to spectator fees, the sports industry generates revenue in advertising, endorsements, media broadcast rights, and licensing. Hawaii hosts multiple major national and international sporting events each year, including the Honolulu Marathon, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, Molokai Hoe, Ironman World Championship, Hawaii Bowl, Maui Invitational, and PGA Sony Open.

Hawaii also played host to large scale sporting events in the recent past. Notably, Hawaii hosted the highly successful National Football League Pro Bowl, an annual all-star game played at the end of each football season, every year from 1980 through 2016, except 2009 and 2015. The event created unique opportunities for Hawaii's youth to interact with professional football players during a week-long series of events. The penultimate event in 2014 contributed more than $26,000,000 in visitor spending to the State's economy and generated $2,800,000 in state tax revenue.

Soccer is also an attractive sport for Hawaii, which has several prime venues, including the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. Soccer is played by more than two hundred fifty million players in more than two hundred countries, making it the world's most popular sport. In 2008, Hawaii hosted the Pan‑Pacific Championship competition, a combination of top teams in Major League Soccer, the J-League, and A-League. The tournament's championship round at Aloha Stadium, which featured international soccer star David Beckham and Kamehameha Schools alumnus Brian Ching, drew 23,087 people, reportedly the largest soccer crowd ever to see a game in Hawaii. Fueled by the appearance of Beckham, the tournament brought considerable media attention, including global telecasts, to Hawaii.

Hawaii has also embraced mixed martial arts, a full-contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques; involves both standing and on-the-ground competition; and blends boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo, and other styles. Mixed martial arts events have drawn capacity crowds to the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. The K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii event at Aloha Stadium in 2005 drew twelve thousand spectators, reportedly the largest crowd to attend a mixed martial arts event in Hawaii at the time. The prestigious Ultimate Fighting Championship organization has never staged a match in Hawaii, but the idea has been floated many times.

Numerous other sporting events have also been held in Hawaii including tennis tournaments, sailing championships, National Basketball Association games, minor league baseball, and professional wrestling.

The legislature believes that there is significant room for growth in the Hawaii sports industry and that attracting more sporting events to use Hawaii as a venue will increase visitor arrivals and expenditures. In particular, the construction of the new Aloha Stadium facility in Halawa, Oahu, provides a significant opportunity to advance Hawaii's position as a premier sports destination. The facility, which will support a variety of sporting events such as football, soccer, and rugby, will feature a comprehensive mix of modern amenities that will enhance Hawaii's ability to market new and diverse sporting events. The legislature finds that it is essential to develop a multi-agency plan to coordinate the marketing of Hawaii as a sports destination now to ensure that the State will be ready to fully leverage the new Aloha Stadium when the facility's construction is complete.

The purpose of this Act is to create the Hawaii sports task force within the department of business, economic development, and tourism to plan and coordinate efforts to secure and maintain Hawaii as a host location for sporting and sports entertainment events, including National Football League events such as the Pro Bowl and preseason games, world-title soccer tournaments, and mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments.

SECTION 2. (a) There shall be established the Hawaii sports task force within the department of business, economic development, and tourism. The task force shall plan and coordinate efforts to establish and maintain Hawaii as a host site for:

(1) National Football League events such as the Pro Bowl and preseason games, world-title soccer tournaments, mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments, and other international sporting events at Aloha Stadium; and

(2) Other sporting and sports entertainment events statewide including golf tournaments, kickboxing events, professional wrestling events, motor-cross races, tennis tournaments, beach volleyball tournaments, sailboat races, marathons, triathlons, and cycling events.

The task force shall make recommendations to the legislature on addressing any issue that the task force determines is feasible to address pursuant to this Act.

(b) The Hawaii sports task force shall meet quarterly at a place and time to be determined by the chairperson of the task force. The task force shall be dissolved on January 5, 2024.

(c) The department of business, economic development, and tourism shall provide administrative support, including the recording of minutes, to the Hawaii sports task force.

(d) The director of business, economic development, and tourism shall be the chairperson of the Hawaii sports task force. The task force shall include the following members or their designees:

(1) The governor;

(2) The mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, and mayors of the counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii;

(3) The chairperson of the stadium authority;

(4) A representative who shall be invited from the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii;

(5) The comptroller;

(6) The president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii tourism authority;

(7) A representative who shall be invited from the Hawaii lodging and tourism association;

(8) A resident of the county of Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii who represents the State's hotel and tourism industry, who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(9) A resident of the county of Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii who represents the State's hotel and tourism industry, who shall be appointed by the president of the senate;

(10) One member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(11) One member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate;

(12) A representative from the economic development board of each county; and

(13) A Hawaiian cultural specialist appointed by the governor.

The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, and all necessary expenses, including travel expenses, shall be paid by the agency, organization, or department to which the member belongs. No member shall be made subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation as a member of the task force.

(e) No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2024, the Hawaii sports task force, in conjunction with the department of business, economic development, and tourism, shall submit to the legislature a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to address the objectives described in subsection (a).

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DBEDT; Sports; Sporting Events; Task Force

Description:

Establishes the Hawaii Sports Task Force within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to plan and coordinate efforts to secure and maintain Hawaii as a host location for major sporting and sports entertainment events at Aloha Stadium and other locations in the State.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.