Hawaii § 201B-2 - Hawaii tourism authority; establishment; board; president and chief executive officer.

§ 201B-2. Hawaii tourism authority; establishment; board; president and chief executive officer.

(a) There is established the Hawaii tourism authority, which shall be a body corporate and a public instrumentality of the State, for the purpose of implementing this chapter. The authority shall be placed within the department of business, economic development, and tourism for administrative purposes only. (b) The authority shall be headed by an advisory board of directors that shall consist of twelve members; provided that: (1) The members shall be appointed by the governor as provided in section 26-34, except as provided by this section; (2) The members shall include at least one representative each from the city and county of Honolulu and the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; (3) One member shall be appointed by the president of the senate, and one member shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; (4) At least six members shall have knowledge, experience, and expertise in the area of accommodations, transportation, retail, entertainment, or attractions, and at least one member appointed by the governor shall have knowledge, experience, and expertise in the area of Hawaiian cultural practices; (5) At least one member shall represent a tourism-impacted entity; (6) The governor shall make appointments to ensure the fulfillment of all requirements of paragraphs (2) and (4); provided that upon the occurrence of a vacancy subject to paragraph (3), the governor shall notify the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives of any unfulfilled requirements pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (4), and the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives, as appropriate, shall appoint a member who fulfills those requirements; and (7) No person who has served as a member of the board of directors of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau shall be eligible to sit as a member of the board of directors of the Hawaii tourism authority until at least two years have expired between the person's termination from service on the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau board and the person's appointment to the authority's board of directors. (c) Members shall be appointed by the governor for terms of four years; provided that membership on the board shall not exceed eight consecutive years; provided further that each member shall hold office until the member's successor is appointed and qualified. (d) The board shall elect a chairperson from among the members. (e) Seven members shall constitute a quorum and a minimum of seven affirmative votes shall be necessary for all actions by the authority. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including traveling expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties. (f) The board shall submit a nominee to the governor who shall transmit a governor's message with the name of the nominee to the senate within ten days of receipt, and shall, subject to the advice and consent of the senate, appoint the nominee to serve as president and chief executive officer, exempt from chapter 76, who shall oversee the authority staff; provided that the compensation package shall not include private sector moneys or other contributions. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the president and chief executive officer shall report to the governor. The board shall set the president and chief executive officer's duties, responsibilities, holidays, vacations, leaves, hours of work, and working conditions. It may grant other benefits as it deems necessary. The board shall set the length of the president and chief executive officer's term of service pursuant to written contract. [L 1998, c 156, pt of §2; am L 2000, c 253, §150; am L 2002, c 143, §2 and c 148, §19; am L 2003, c 3, §3; am L 2004, c 10, §7 and c 58, §§6, 14(2); am L 2005, c 22, §§46, 50 and c 235, §4; am L 2006, c 306, §1; am L 2007, c 187, §2; am L Sp 2009, c 5, §§4, 12; am L 2010, c 102, §5; am L 2015, c 46, §1; am L Sp 2021, c 1, §18; am L 2022, c 220, §3; am L 2025, c 132, §3 and c 168, §2] Note The 2022 amendment applies to any vacancy of a Hawaii tourism authority board of directors member appointed pursuant to §201B-2(b)(2) or (4) that occurs on or after July 1, 2022. L 2022, c 220, §4. Attorney General Opinions Subsection (c) is constitutional, with regard to the use of the phrase "appointed and qualified" to describe when a successor's appointment terminates a holdover member's position. Att. Gen. Op. 16-3. Previous Vol04_Ch0201-0257 Next