The Hawaii Tourism Authority hopes to have a decision by the end of next month on whether the Los Angeles Rams will play the NFL’s first preseason game in Hawaii in 43 years.

The marketing committee and HTA Board of Directors on Thursday gave their sports agent, Ascendent Sports Group of New York, the go-ahead to pursue deeper negotiations with the Rams for a 2019 game at Aloha Stadium, marking the furthest the state has gotten in negotiations with an NFL team to play here since the 1970s.

Sean Dee, who heads the HTA marketing committee, said the group has received “a framework of a proposal” from the Rams and discussions “involve Aloha Stadium manager Scott Chan and the Stadium Authority.”

HTA officials declined to say how much the Rams were seeking, but Dee said, “from an out-of-pocket perspective” it would be less than the $5.2 million the NFL received for the 2016 Pro Bowl and the $6 million sought by the UFC for a Max Holloway card at Aloha Stadium this year.

A $2.5 million figure had been mentioned earlier in HTA budget discussions, but Dee and HTA board chairman Rick Fried declined to say if the number was still operative.

An HTA budget draft lists an overall budget of $84.7 million for fiscal 2019 with $6.1 million earmarked for sports.

Dee said the actual date of the game in 2019 and prospective opponent were among issues that need to be resolved before a deal can be reached.

He said the Rams would be responsible for their transportation as well as that of their opponent.

The HTA’s payment would likely include a season-long advertising relationship at Rams games in Los Angeles, similar to the advertising and media agreement the HTA has with the Los Angeles Clippers. Southern California is the HTA’s largest market for visitors.

While the HTA is in the second year of an agreement with the NBA Clippers to play here, the Rams game would be what officials describe as a “one-off deal” since the Rams are due to move into their new stadium in 2020.

Dee said the HTA is generally more interested in longer term associations, but “this is such a high-profile opportunity to be a benefit to the stadium and state that we wanted to take a look at it.”

The only other NFL preseason game played at Aloha Stadium took place between the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers in 1976. The game drew 36,364.