[ OUR OPINION ]

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Seek employers’ help
in fighting drug abuse

THE ISSUE The Legislature is considering a bill that would punish companies for neglecting to institute programs aimed at combatting drug abuse.

A state legislative task force on combatting the use of crystal methamphetamine observed that employers' response to drugs in the workplace "appears to be primarily punitive and zero tolerance." The same can be said of a piece of legislation's approach to employers who are caught failing to toe the line in the war on "ice." Fortunately, judiciary committee chiefs have agreed to change the legislation to achieve the cooperation needed for the effort to be successful.

The legislation, which arose from the House-Senate task force, would require companies to provide three hours annually of education about the dangers of drug abuse to their employees and to continue health-insurance coverage of those discharged for drug abuse for three months so they can be compensated for substance-abuse treatment. Employees fired for drug dealing or for other criminal activity, even if drug-related, would be excluded from such considerations.

The original bill also took a sledgehammer approach in trying to ensure that companies adhere to the requirements. Companies caught in violation would be subject to fines ranging from $100 to $10,000, depending on the transgression, and imprisonment of up to one year.

The task force recommended a tax credit of $250 for employers that institute drug prevention and education programs for their employees, regardless of the company's size. That proposed credit, included in a separate bill, would be paltry for many companies asked to take hundreds of employees off the production line for three hours a year. A graduated tax credit based on the number of employees would be fair.

"The requirements are far too demanding, and the punishment is far too excessive," small-business advocate Bev Harbin complained in an e-mail sent to legislators and the news media. Harbin also complained that the requirements would be imposed only on the private sector. However, the Legislature lacks the authority to impose the requirements on the federal government, and the carrot-and-stick approach of tax credits and fines cannot be applied to state and county agencies.

The state and counties should insist that requirements made of private companies be made a part of their collective-bargaining agreements. Hawaii's powerful public-employee unions should have no reason to complain, because such provisions would benefit their members.

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Variety would spice up
isle sports marketing

THE ISSUE The Hawaii Tourism Authority spends most of its annual sports promotion budget on the Pro Bowl.

It's good news that Hawaii likely will keep the Pro Bowl for another five years at a cost below the $5.3 million the Hawaii Tourism Authority paid for the game this year. The NFL's post-season all-star exhibition draws millions in visitor spending and tax revenue, but investing money to promote other events would make sense if Hawaii is to broaden its reach into a quickly expanding sports-tourism market.

The Pro Bowl gobbles up the lion's share of HTA's $7.9 million annual budget for such promotions and paid off to the tune of about $28 million in visitor spending and $2.7 million in state taxes last year. Nonetheless, magnifying the return on our investment is limited by the nature of the game as a spectator sport and a stadium with limited capacity.

Rising costs for its staging could make Hawaii a less attractive site than a mainland setting in the years to come. Despite the state's visual appeal -- television loves the beauty of Hawaii -- and the 25-year history of the game here, travel and production expenses could place more of a financial burden on the NFL even with its take from advertising and other revenue sources.

National exposure of beaches and sunny weather, which the NFL calculates is worth $12 million, puts Hawaii on the minds of potential visitors during the middle of winter, but how many are actually persuaded to buy plane tickets is difficult to quantify. That the number of viewers this year dropped by 2 million from last year also is a concern.

Professional football isn't a sport singularly linked to Hawaii; it can be played almost anywhere else in the country. The HTA should be cultivating events that have a strong identity with the islands and show off the state's physical assets, like the Nissan Xterra World Championship triathlon. Promotion should be aimed at attracting participatory sports like the American Youth Soccer Organization tournaments, which pulled in $8 million through 6,000 visitors from 15 states, and a professional soccer competition that generated $13 million and 10,000 tourists.

The Pro Bowl is a valuable commodity. Still, the HTA should hedge its bets and seek out a variety of events to broaden the state's tourism shares.