STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1455

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 593

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 593, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

Island Burial Council, Island of Oahu

G.M. No. 593

CAROLYN KEHAUNANI ABAD, for a term to expire 6-30-2013,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statements submitted by the nominee, and finds Carolyn Kehaunani Abad to have the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Island Burial Council, Island of Oahu.

     Testimony in support of the nomination was submitted by one state agency and two public citizens.  Written testimony presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Dr. Abad received her Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and Anthropology, her Master's degree in Anthropology, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Hawaiian Archaeology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She is presently employed as the Director for Kamehameha Publishing and the Hawaiian Cultural Specialist for Hookahua (Hawaiian Cultural Development Office) with Kamehameha Schools, and is an affiliate Graduate Faculty member for the University of Hawaii at Manoa Anthropology Department.  Dr. Abad currently serves on the Island Burial Council, Island of Oahu and satisfies the requirement that a member represent a large landowner and developer. 

     Dr. Abad will represent Kamehameha Schools on the Island Burial Council, Island of Oahu.  She has a strong personal commitment to ensuring that human remains and burial goods are treated with the utmost respect and, in the cases of Hawaiian individuals, in accordance with Hawaiian cultural values.  Dr. Abad has extensive experience in Hawaiian cultural matters, including burials, from her personal upbringing, community involvement, academic training, and professional roles.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair