The state legislators in charge of tourism are holding a post-session informational briefing Monday on the beleaguered Hawai‘i Tourism Authority that could play out more like an exit interview.

Gov. Josh Green’s office said in an email Wednesday that he plans on asking for courtesy resignations from the entire HTA board before the beginning of the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Green’s stance is related to the passage of Senate Bill 1571, which changed HTA’s governance model when he signed it May 29. “Because the responsibilities of the board have changed to an advisory role, he feels it best to start with a clean slate,” the email said. “The HTA board as it was previously established no longer exists, so it makes sense to look at the composition of the new board.”

State Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki), chair of the House Committee on Tourism, and state Sen. Lynn DeCoite (D, East Maui-Upcountry-Molokai-Lanai-­Kahoolawe), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, are holding the joint informational briefing at 10 a.m. Monday in Room 329 of the state Capitol. Tam said the briefing will review HTA’s interim action plans, current projects and recent developments.

He said the briefing also will cover contract updates, the community-driven destination management action plans, or DMAPs, and audit findings issued by the state auditor.

“The purpose of this is to have an open discussion about the future of HTA and the current plans as well as any open-ended questions that other members of the community and the Legislature may have,” Tam said, adding that legislators from outside the tourism committees are welcome to sit in and ask questions.

“A lot of our members are genuinely curious about the future of HTA, and rightfully so. This is our largest industry,” he said.

Caroline Anderson, HTA interim president and CEO, said in an email, “Establishing an effective governance structure is essential and will determine how successful HTA can be in fulfilling its mission to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the impacts on our natural resources, culture and community.”

DeCoite said Thursday that the idea behind the briefing is to avoid waiting until the end of the year and then scrambling at the last minute to address concerns about tourism, especially since it’s the economic driver for the state. She said she expects Monday’s briefing will be comprehensive.

“We just have had challenges with HTA and some of the things that they have been doing. We have tried to solve everything in the past years. There are just a lot of issues. We keep seeing HTA in the newspaper,” DeCoite said.

She added that above all, HTA officials have to work together and prioritize its goals and projects.

“They have got to be able to justify the funds that they requested for some of the priorities that they have asked for — more so on the destination management, which has been an issue for me,” DeCoite said. “I’m sure you saw the audit on the destination management action plans and it doesn’t look good.”

The latest management audit released by State Auditor Leslie H. Kondo determined that HTA’s destination management focus is “not new or effective” and the agency remains unable to gauge its own performance.

The state audit was especially critical of HTA’s DMAP effort, which it determined was “poorly planned and executed with key decisions deferred to third-party contractors and island steering committees. The result: many of the actions did not address hot spots, were underway or already achieved, or were impractical.”

The DMAPs are HTA’s latest destination management strategy, and the plans approved by the HTA board in 2021 were intended to detail the steps the community, the visitor industry and other sectors deemed necessary to improve tourism management over a three-year period.

The DMAPs were an outgrowth of the HTA Strategic Plan, which ran from 2020 to 2025 and was touted as the first strategic plan the agency developed as part of its shift from a mainly marketing focus to a greater emphasis on destination management.

Anderson said in an email that the audit “identified areas for improvement, and we have begun assessing the recommendations provided in the report. HTA remains focused on improving its processes and procedures, including how we measure success and effectiveness in accomplishing our mission.”

SOME OF the HTA board and staff disagreed with the management audit’s findings, and it’s unclear what tack they will take in the informational briefing. It’s also uncertain how current HTA board members will react to Green’s request or the other coming governance changes.

HTA staff already is dealing with several key vacancies, although Anderson has launched a 90-day action plan to shore up the agency.

In addition to downgrading the HTA board to an advisory board, SB 1571 lays out new operational and administrative criteria, and sets new standards for the selection of board members. The bill also amends eligibility requirements to serve on the advisory board.

It removes the director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism from the board and requires that board members must be a representative of a tourism-impacted entity.

Other provisions allow the House speaker and Senate president to each appoint an HTA advisory board member and allow the advisory board to appoint the HTA president and CEO, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. Additionally, SB 1571 requires the HTA leader to report to the governor.

The measure also clarifies that the Hawai‘i Convention Center must reflect a “Hawaii” sense of place instead of a “Hawaiian” sense of place.

HTA board Chair Todd Apo said the board is still processing the changes. Apo added that John Cole, the deputy attorney general assigned to HTA, told the board at its last meeting that the state Department of the Attorney General’s interpretation of the law “does not require the board to get wiped out and restarted now.”

Apo said Cole told the HTA board that “nobody has the authority to require any board member to resign, but obviously it can be asked for, and then it is up to each board member.”

THE DILEMMA before the board members only adds to the recent uncertainties. In the past several months, HTA has undergone dramatic leadership shake-ups as it has struggled to address allegations of inappropriate freebies at the Hawai‘i Convention Center and inconsistencies in its Hawaii Tourism Conference partnerships.

There were also allegations about potential procurement violations and late payments to contractors. Opens in a new tab

State Sen. Kurt Fevella (R, Ewa Beach), HTA contractors, former HTA employees and some board members also alleged in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser story Opens in a new tab May 4 that HTA and DBEDT failed to respond promptly to complaints about a hostile work environment, including alleged racist and sexist comments, that they claim contributed to the recent resignations of five Native Hawaiian members of HTA’s leadership team.

Isaac Choy, HTA vice president of finance and acting chief administrative officer, was put on unpaid leave May 9 at the direction of the state attorney general and the Department of Human Resources amid allegations he made racist and sexist remarks on the job. Since Choy was the project manager for $100 million in repairs at the convention center, his absence could extend the center’s planned construction beyond two years, putting the state at risk of losing millions of dollars Opens in a new tab in group tourism bookings.

Choy, who remains on unpaid leave, has sued named and unnamed HTA officials, alleging they retaliated against him for reporting what he called procurement, spending and other violations.

With the signing of House Bill 934 this week, the state’s efforts to achieve universal broadband access will be officially coordinated via a centralized State Broadband Office.

What You Need To Know

Act 201, formally establishes the State Broadband Office within the Department of Accounting and General Services

In addition to coordinating broadband deployment across public and private sectors, the office will be responsible for administering grant programs in support of broadband infrastructure and innovation, overseeing strategic broadband investments and ensuring high-speed internet access is extended to underserved communities statewide

Act 201 also provides funding for six digital navigators, who will support digital literacy programs in libraries and other venues across the state
The state has opened a request for proposals for the Hawaii Community Digital Navigators Project to hire, train and manage community digital navigators who will be located in 51 public library branches

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, serving as acting governor while Gov. Josh Green is in Washington, D.C., to meet with federal officials and attend the annual Hawaii on the Hill event, signed the measure into law on Monday.

“With the signing of House Bill 934, Hawaii is taking a necessary step toward a future where every resident, regardless of geography, age or income, can connect to and use affordable, reliable broadband internet to access education, healthcare and economic opportunity,” said Luke, who leads the state’s Connect Kakou high-speed internet initiative. “This law not only lays the groundwork for much-needed services — it also helps ensure keiki through kupuna acquire the skills and support they need to use the internet to improve their daily lives.”

The measure, now Act 201, formally establishes the State Broadband Office within the Department of Accounting and General Services. In addition to coordinating broadband deployment across public and private sectors, the office will be responsible for administering grant programs in support of broadband infrastructure and innovation, overseeing strategic broadband investments and ensuring high-speed internet access is extended to underserved communities statewide.

“Access to high-speed internet is vital for every aspect of our lives,” said state Rep. Greggor Ilagan, who co-introduced the bill. “There are residents in rural areas who are counting on us to deliver important broadband upgrades and programs. The State Broadband Office gives us the focus and framework to turn vision into action.”

Act 201 also provides funding for six digital navigators, who will support digital literacy programs in libraries and other venues across the state. The new positions build on a 2023 pilot program in which community-based professionals, stationed at public libraries, assisted residents with digital skills, internet connectivity, accessing devices, and online services like telehealth and job applications.

“I’ve seen firsthand the barriers a rural island community faces when it comes to building computer skills that many take for granted,” said state Sen. Lynn DeCoite. “By connecting people to digital navigators, we’re empowering our residents in countless ways.”

State librarian Stacey Aldrich said the 2023 pilot program demonstrated the high demand for digital literacy support.

“Digital navigators are trusted guides who will help ensure no one is left behind in the digital age and we are so excited to grow this program,” she said.

The state has opened a request for proposals for the Hawaii Community Digital Navigators Project to hire, train and manage community digital navigators who will be located in 51 public library branches. Interested applicants can access the full RFP by visiting connectkakou.org. The deadline to submit a proposal is June 30 at 2 p.m.

Dredging work began today to restore access to the lava-barricaded Pohoiki Boat Ramp, eight years after an eruption of Kilauea volcano rendered the structure unusable.

Hundreds of people gathered Monday for a community celebration and blessing at the top of the ramp, which by November is expected to be clear of an estimated 42,000 cubic yards of black sand and boulders. That’s about 22,000 full-sized pickup truck beds.

“This is a day of celebration to recognize the collaboration of the community, elected officials and (the Department of Land and Natural Resources) working together to support this project,” DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said Monday. “The Pohoiki Boat Ramp is a piko, or focal point for this community. Fishing is a huge part of the greater Puna community and commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers have been waiting patiently for this work to begin.”

Even before the 2018 eruption, Finn McCall, the head engineer with the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, made multiple visits to Pohoiki. Immediately after the eruption stopped, McCall continued making further visits to Pohoiki to shift the strategy in addressing ramp needs, according to the DLNR.

“Boy, this has been a long journey,” McCall said. “We tried looking at sites from Kapoho all the way to Kalapana. Sand and boulders continued to fill the entire bay, but once that stopped, we began focusing on restoring the Pohoiki ramp.”

The state had hoped for more federal support to approve removal of most of the volcanic debris in Pohoiki Bay, but FEMA was only able to approve restoration of the boat ramp entrance channel.

Then it took dogged efforts by state lawmakers from the district to convince the rest of the Legislature that opening the Pohoiki Boat Ramp was the top priority for people in the district, according to the DLNR.

Chang on Monday singled out the efforts of state Sen. Joy San Buenaventura and state Rep. Greggor Ilagan in getting $5.4 million of state funding for the dredging.

The total project cost came in at $9.28 million, which means the $2.9 million shortfall is being covered by the DLNR’s Boating Special Fund, which derives its revenues almost entirely from boating user fees.

“We needed people to understand how much it cost in fuel just to bring all our boats from the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo, the nearest boating facility, out to Puna to they could fish to feed and support their families,” San Buenaventura said during the blessing ceremony.

San Buenaventura and Ilagan often pointed out it was akin to only having one small boat ramp for all of Oahu.

According to the DLNR, Chang fielded letter after letter, comment after comment from upset and frustrated fishers, some of whom had to give up their generational livelihoods of fishing because it became too expensive. 

Family members with lineal connections to the coastline were not able to fish, either. She and every single speaker singled out the community for not giving up and pushing to have Pohoiki restored.

As did the consulting company and contractor hired to do the work.

“This has been one of the most eye-opening, humbling projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Kyle Kaneshiro of Limtiaco Consulting. “The community made everything so easy. This is not an easy project, but the community got everyone together.”

Guy DiBartolo from Goodfellows Bros. Inc., added, “I’ve been to many ground blessings and ceremonies. This one for me, stands out as something unique and special, seeing the community’s involvement over many months and years.”

For many people, like DLNR First Deputy Ryan Kanaka‘ole, Pohoiki stirs up fond childhood memories.

“Summertime for me was coming down here, making the two-hour drive each way from Kaʻu with my father to dive, surf or just relax. This day makes me remember my dad. He didn’t have a house, but he had a car, and I’ll never forget those days spent at Pohoiki.”

The contractor has nine months to complete the project but expects to be finished in November, according to the DLNR.