Mufi's Message - February 25, 2021

House Bill 1286

Aloha,

Today, the House Finance Committee heard House Bill 1286, HD2. After extensive testimony, the measure was passed by the committee. As we expected, there was some opposition to the measure with Representatives Bertrand Kobayashi, Tina Wildberger, and Amy Perruso voting against the bill. However, the vast majority of the House Finance Committee expressed their support with a vote of 12 ayes and 3 nos. This bill will now be sent to the House floor for third reading before crossing over to the Senate for further consideration.

I truly appreciate how active and responsive our members and industry partners have been throughout the legislative process thus far. You have submitted numerous iterations of written testimony and many have also provided oral testimony in support of this measure. Mahalo to the following individuals who were able to testify via Zoom during today's committee hearing:

• Hawai'i Farm Bureau Executive Director Brian Miyamoto
• Hawai'i Food Industry Association Executive Director Lauren Zirbel
• Retail Merchants of Hawai'i President Tina Yamaki
• Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Wendy Laros
• Sheraton Kauai Resort General Manager Chip Bahouth
• The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club General Manager Lynette Eastman
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk General Manager Simeon Miranda
• Prince Waikiki Hotel General Manager Joshua Hargrove
• Highgate Hotels Regional Vice President, Sales & Marketing - Hawai'i Cheryl Williams
• T S Restaurants Vice President of Operations Dylan Ching
• L.A.K Enterprises Owner Lisa Kim
• The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach Doug Chang

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As the HB1286, HD2 travels to the Senate, we anticipate the second half of the legislative process to be a challenging task. We will continue to keep you abreast of any developments as they occur and encourage your ongoing participation in our advocacy efforts.

Vaccine Classification

As you may have heard, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recently clarified its vaccine prioritization to include the "Traveler Accommodation" category in Phase-1C. We are pleased that, after working closely with AHLA, the CDC has made this amendment to protect the countless hospitality workers who are currently working during a pandemic throughout the nation. 

On the local front, HLTA has been working closely with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and the Hawai‘i State Department of Health on the process in which our hospitality workers will be scheduled for vaccination. We have been assured that our industry members would start vaccinations in the 1C category at the very least, and some may actually start sooner than that depending on the available supply. 

As it currently stands, Hawai‘i is in Phase-1B of the vaccination schedule.

Spotlight Hawaii

​Yesterday, Outrigger President & CEO Jeff Wagoner and I joined the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for its ongoing Spotlight Hawai'i series to discuss a number of topics currently surrounding the local tourism industry. In addition to providing an update on the current state of affairs for the local travel industry, Jeff and I were able to discuss a number of topics including statewide travel rules and the possibility of Hawai'i establishing a vaccine passport program that would allow vaccinated travelers to be exempt from the quarantine process.

It was a great discussion that you can watch in its entirety by clicking the video above. ​

The Big Picture

The second episode of a special, two-part series of webinars hosted by HLTA's Restaurant, Food & Beverage and Agricultural Committee will be held next Tuesday, March 2 at 4 p.m.

Hosted by our Restaurant, Food & Beverage and Agricultural Committee, this free event entitled, Advocacy 101, will explore how a critical part of Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry can work together to become a stronger voice and resource of information for our policy makers and the community. This episode will feature key industry leaders and stakeholders who will examine the following:

• The Advocacy Process
• Best Practices
• Current Issues and Potential Opportunities to Engage

The webinar will begin with remarks from HLTA President & CEO Mufi Hannemann and committee co-Chair Keli‘i Gouveia who is the General Manager at Duke’s Waikiki. The discussion panel will be moderated by Jared Higashi, HLTA’s Vice President of Government & Community Affairs and will include the following panelists:  

• Tina Yamaki - President, Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i
•  Emmanuel Zibakalam - Executive Director, Hawai‘i Crop Improvement Association
• Rick Egged - President, Waikiki Improvement Association
• Representative Richard H.K. Onishi – Hawai‘i State House of Representatives (District 3)

As “virtual” seats are limited, I encourage you to register as soon as possible! You can do so by clicking on the graphic above or by clicking here.

Hope to see you there! 
-Mufi