HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	284
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

COMMENDING DUANE "DOG" AND BETH CHAPMAN FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF HAWAI`I.

WHEREAS, Duane "Dog" and Beth Chapman are the proud owners of "Da Kine Bail Bonds" and work side by side as bounty hunters in Hawaii and in all parts of the world bringing fugitives to justice; and

WHEREAS, Duane "Dog" Chapman became arguably the most successful and charismatic bounty hunter in the world after 6,000 captures including his catapult to fame following his capture of one of America's Most Wanted - Max Factor heir, Andrew Luster in 2003; and

WHEREAS, the Chapmans and Da Kine Bail Bonds were subsequently featured in the new "reality television" series that is viewed around the world on the A&E network – "DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER" and has became the network's highest rated show; and

WHEREAS, the Chapman's are not law enforcement - but crime fighters who capture fugitives never using a firearm by virtue of their firm belief that a bounty hunter should never carry a gun; and

WHEREAS, due to their work on the streets with criminals, the Chapmans know first-hand how the “ice epidemic” has affected our islands, and are on the front line of fighting the war on ice by visiting as many schools as they can, speaking against drugs and a life of crime, and about the power of doing the right thing with your life, finding what you can be, and then being the best at it; and

WHEREAS, "Dog" Chapman learned from his darker past to turn his life around and to commit himself to doing good and thereafter became a model for second chances; and

WHEREAS, Duane “Dog” Chapman is part-preacher and part-father-figure to many fugitives he captures and then prays with; and

WHEREAS, when he has received a thank you and hears about someone who has turned his or her life around because of something he said to them, he gets a higher sense of fulfillment than any capture could bring; and

WHEREAS, the Chapman's have donated their time to the Hawaii community and the armed forces as well as helped numerous local charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Wish, the March of Dimes, the Hawaii Nature Center and many others, and the Chapmans' popularity has assisted the Hawaii economy by helping attract visitors to the islands evidenced by the many tour buses that stop by their business every day, with many saying their main motivation to come to Hawaii was to meet “The Dog"; 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 this body commends Duane "Dog" and Beth Chapman for their dedication to justice and their contribution to make America and Hawaii a safer and better place to live, and also wishes "Dog", Beth, Tim, Leland, Duane Lee, Lyssa, and the entire Chapman ohana, a bountiful and continual stay in Hawaii as they continue to spread justice and aloha around the world.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Duane "Dog" and Beth Chapman; commending