HRS § 201-3 - Specific research and promotional functions of the department

Without prejudice to its general functions and duties, the department of business, economic development, and tourism shall have specific functions in the following areas: (1) Industrial development. The department shall: (A) Determine through technical and economic surveys the profit potential of new or expanded industrial undertakings; (B) Develop through research projects and other means new and improved industrial products and processes; (C) Promote studies and surveys to determine consumer preference as to design and quality and to determine the best methods of packaging, transporting, and marketing the State's industrial products; (D) Disseminate information to assist the present industries of the State, to attract new industries to the State, and to encourage capital investment in present and new industries in the State; (E) Assist associations of producers and distributors of industrial products to introduce these products to consumers; and (F) Make grants or contracts as may be necessary or advisable to accomplish the foregoing; (2) Land development. The department shall: (A) Encourage the most productive use of all land in the State in accordance with a general plan developed by the department; (B) Encourage the improvement of land tenure practices on leased private lands; (C) Promote an informational program directed to landowners, producers of agricultural and industrial commodities, and the general public regarding the most efficient and most productive use of the lands in the State; and (D) Make grants or contracts as may be necessary or advisable to accomplish the foregoing; (3) Credit development. The department shall: (A) Conduct a continuing study of agricultural and industrial credit needs; (B) Encourage the development of additional private and public credit sources for agricultural and industrial enterprises; (C) Promote an informational program to acquaint financial institutions with agricultural and industrial credit needs and the potential for agricultural and industrial expansion, and inform producers of agricultural and industrial products as to the manner in which to qualify for loans; and (D) Make grants or contracts as may be necessary or advisable to accomplish the foregoing; (4) Promotion. The department shall: (A) Disseminate information developed for or by the department pertaining to economic development to assist present industry in the State; (B) Attract new industry and investments to the State; and (C) Assist new and emerging industry with good growth potential or prospects in jobs, exports, and new products. The industrial and economic promotional activities of the department may include the use of literature, advertising, demonstrations, displays, market testing, lectures, travel, motion picture and slide films, and other promotional and publicity devices as may be appropriate; and (5) Self-sufficiency standard. The department shall establish and update biennially a self-sufficiency standard that shall incorporate existing methods of calculation, and shall reflect, at a minimum, costs relating to housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, clothing and household expenses, federal and state tax obligations, family size, children's ages, geography, and the number of household wage earners. The department shall report to the legislature concerning the self-sufficiency standard no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2009, and every odd-numbered year thereafter. The recommendations shall address, among other things, the use of any federal funding that may be available for the purposes of establishing and updating the self-sufficiency standard. The department shall be the central agency to coordinate film permit activities in the State. [L 1955, c 264, pt of §1; RL 1955, §28A-6; am L 1957, c 23, §5; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §§10, 25; am L 1963, c 2, §3; HRS ; am L 1974, c 85, §1; am L 1977, c 12, §1; am L 1981, c 98, §5; am L 1983, c 235, §2; am L 1984, c 81, §1; am L 1987, c 336, §7; am L 1990, c 293, §8; am L 1996, c 166, §4; am L 1998, c 156, §6 and c 176, §8; am L Sp 2008, c 12, §2; am L Sp 2009, c 5, §3] Revision Note Paragraph (5) redesignated pursuant to §23G-15(1). Cross References Firearms permit for motion picture and television production, see §134-2.5. New industry training, see §394-8.