HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	246
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE  RESOLUTION

URGING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO EASE RESTRICTIONS ON THE ISSUANCE OF TEMPORARY VISAS AND EXTEND THE STAY LIMIT TO ALLOW FOREIGN MEDIATORS AND PARTIES IN NEED OF MEDIATION SERVICES TO ENTER THE STATE OF HAWAII FOR THE PURPOSE OF FACILITATING COMMUNICATION AND NEGOTIATION BETWEEN PARTIES TO RESOLVE DISPUTES.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is one of the most racially diverse places in the world and it continues to attract people from throughout Asia including China, Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has a multicultural and highly skilled community of alternative dispute resolution professionals including mediators, arbitrators, negotiators, and facilitators; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii seeks to provide dispute resolution services and training to enable businesses and organizations throughout the United States to build successful relationships with their counterparts in Asia Pacific countries through the use of dispute prevention and resolution techniques and systems; and

     WHEREAS, the use of alternative dispute resolution, especially mediation, is a preferred way of dealing with problems and disputes, especially among Asian and Pacific peoples; and

     WHEREAS, in times when it may take as long as a year to get a judicial resolution in our overburdened judicial system, and multiple years if a case is appealed, the mediation alternative often provides a more timely way of resolving disputes; and

     WHEREAS, mediation is a technique used throughout the world to resolve disputes between parties; and

     WHEREAS, parties involved in a dispute are generally more satisfied with solutions that have been mutually agreed upon, as opposed to solutions that are imposed by a court of law; and

     WHEREAS, mediation demands trust and excellent communication skills as well as an understanding of cultural differences and needs; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is optimally situated in the middle of the Pacific to become a hub for international dispute resolution, and a bridge between East and West; and

     WHEREAS, easing the visa requirements for foreign mediators and for those people and companies from foreign countries in need of mediation services will both strengthen international ties and facilitate the growth of trade and investment between the United States and Asia Pacific; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the United States is urged to ease restrictions on the issuance of temporary visas and to extend the stay limit by a minimum of thirty days to allow foreign mediators and parties in need of mediation services to enter the United States, including the State of Hawaii, for the purposes of facilitating communication and negotiation between parties to assist them in reaching a voluntary agreement regarding their dispute; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of State, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Report Title: 

Immigration Visas; Foreign Mediators