State legislators Thursday wrapped up an economically challenging session that they say changed the way government operates by restructuring the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s funding, diverting $100 million from special funds into the general fund and paving the way for tourists to pay more fees rather than raising taxes on residents.

Legislators introduced more than 3,000 bills and passed more than 200 of them that are now headed to Gov. David Ige’s desk. Ige has until June 21 to say which ones, if any, he intends to veto.

Ige told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Thursday that his office plans to spend the next several weeks reviewing all of the bills.

House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti (D, Moiliili-Makiki- Tantalus) told reporters Thursday that the legislative session resulted in structural and regulatory reforms that will last for decades.

Throughout the session, legislators frequently pointed to changes at Haena State Park following the devastating 2018 mudslides on the north shore of Kauai as a template for how tourism could be better regulated by restricting access while tapping into local knowledge to teach tourists the history of the area.

Majority Floor Leader Rep. Dee Morikawa (D, Niihau- Koloa-Kokee) called the changes at Haena State Park “the leading example of what we can do statewide.”

Tourism is rebounding faster than expected since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the industry in 2020.

About 7,000 visitors per day were arriving in January. Now Hawaii is averaging nearly 17,000 daily arrivals.

House leaders cited the latest version of House Bill 1276 as helping state agencies implement “dynamic pricing tools” to better manage use of state parks and trails.

“Visitors need to pay their fare share because they do take a toll on natural resources and infrastructure in our state, and it was about time that we looked at having tourists pay more for visiting Hawaii. That’s exactly what we did,” House Speaker Scott Saiki said. “You’ll see increases with hotel and transient accommodations. The DLNR (state Department of Land and Natural Resources) will have the ability to assess at state parks, and there will be a slight increase for rental cars.”

“People are just going to have to pay more if they want to visit Hawaii,” Saiki said. “That’s going to be the bottom line.”

After the Legislature adjourned, Ige told the Star-Advertiser, “The recovery is happening quicker than many anticipated. That’s kind of the good news. But we also know there’s lots of concern in the community. We’re trying to reduce the friction points.”

The Senate wrapped up its final floor session of the year in about a half-hour, dedicating much of the time to honor colleague Sen. J. Kalani English (D, Molokai-Lanai-East Maui), who announced this week that he’s retiring Saturday.

English, 54, has been experiencing long-term symptoms, including memory problems and exhaustion, since being infected with COVID-19 during a November trip to the mainland. He’s stepping down from his seat to recuperate.

English, draped in lei, praised the progress that the Senate has made since he was elected in 2000.

At the time there was just one fax machine, and nearly all business was conducted on paper, he recalled. A couple of times bills were actually lost, he said, only to be found behind a desk.

English said he was hopeful to start participating in public life again after recuperating back home in Hana.

“I look forward to having some time to heal, some time at home, some time to regenerate and some time to write,” he said.