STAND. COM. REP. NO. 932

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 109

       H.D. 3

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs and Technology and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 109, H.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require, beginning January 1, 2014, newly rendered, created, replaced, or reprinted state and county documents, letterheads, symbols, and emblems that include Hawaiian words to contain accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian words;

     (2)  Establish applicable references for accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and words; and

     (3)  Clarify that misspelled or incorrectly punctuated Hawaiian words and names shall not invalidate documents or render them unenforceable.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; and Oahu Council, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committees find that since 1978, the State has reaffirmed Hawaiian as one of its official languages, and the Legislature has supported efforts to incorporate the Hawaiian language into official state writings, emblems, and signs.  The use of proper Hawaiian macrons and glottal stops not only shows the deserved respect for the native language of these islands, but also fully comports with the intent and purpose of the Hawaii State Constitution.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing them with the language of S.B. No. 236, S.D. 1, which:

     (1)  Requires that beginning January 1, 2015, all letterheads, symbols, and emblems of the State and counties include accurate and appropriate Hawaiian names and language;

     (2)  Establishes references for accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and words, including proper Hawaiian spelling and punctuation; and

     (3)  Inserts an effective date of July 1, 2014.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs and Technology and the Arts that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 109, H.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 109, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs and Technology and the Arts,

____________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

____________________________ BRICKWOOD GALUTERIA, Chair