Proposed bill could cut Hawaii Tourism Authority’s funding, responsibility

A proposed bill that would reduce funding for the Hawaii Tourism Authority passed through two Senate committees last week. The Senate Ways and Means and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees approved House Bill 862 in a joint meeting Friday afternoon. The bill was first introduced to reconfigure administrative duties of aerospace agencies, but later was amended to also include changes to HTA. In addition to cutting funding, the bill would limit the agency’s scope of responsibility, focusing…