WHEREAS, interest in the Pearl Harbor attack leading to the United States' involvement in World War II increases as the years go by; and

WHEREAS, located in Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor Center, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor are nonprofit ventures that seek to preserve the history of the nation's involvement in World War II and to honor the bravery of those who died while serving and protecting the freedom of this country; and

WHEREAS, although residents, tourists, and World War II veterans and survivors alike are attracted to these memorials for historic, tourist, and personal interests, a somber air pervades these memorials as visitors learn about, honor, and remember this period of United States history; and

WHEREAS, Halawa Landing is a 6.6 acre site located next to the Arizona Memorial and USS Bowfin Memorial sites; and

WHEREAS, in 2003 as part of an agreement to redevelop Ford Island, the United States Navy, under a sixty-five-year lease, leased the rights to Halawa Landing to a for-profit company; and

WHEREAS, another for-profit company obtained a sublease for Halawa Landing and has established a commercial operation, with a Hawaii circa 1942 theme, that is housed in a temporary, white open-air tent for vendors selling products ranging from fast food to World War II themed memorabilia and a docent who will answer questions about Pearl Harbor's past and the importance of the three memorials; and

WHEREAS, while this for-profit company seeks to accommodate the needs of the approximately 1,500,000 annual visitors to this area, which has been long criticized for its meager eating options, some, including survivors, have raised concerns to the Navy and to members of Hawaii's congressional delegation regarding the appropriateness of the use of the Halawa Landing site; and

WHEREAS, questions have been raised about the appropriateness of locating a for-profit company in the midst of a national park with several nonprofit neighbors, and the Attorney General has been requested to review whether the Center violates federal law that provides blind vendors located on federal property, such as the Arizona Memorial, certain protections from competition; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the State of Hawaii respectfully requests the United States Navy to remove the for-profit company from Halawa Landing and replace it with a nonprofit visitor center that will serve as the gateway for all of the historic sites of Pearl Harbor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Commander of the United States Pacific Command, the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, the Commander of the Navy Region Hawaii, Hawaii's congressional delegation, and the Adjutant General, who in turn is requested to transmit copies to the Executive Director of the USS Arizona Memorial, the Executive Director of the USS Bowfin Memorial, the Executive Director of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Executive Director of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, and the Chairman of Pearl Harbor Visitor's Center Inc.

Report Title:

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center