STAND. COM. REP. NO. 474

Honolulu, Hawai‘i

RE:    S.B. No. 409

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawai‘i

Madam:

     Your Committees on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs and Technology and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 409 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MAHINA ‘ŌLELO HAWAI‘I,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to designate the month of February as "‘Olelo Hawai‘i Month" to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and two individuals.

     Your Committees find that the Hawaiian language community has long considered February "Hawaiian Language Month" and, in years past, successfully advocated for gubernatorial proclamations designating February as Hawaiian Language Month.  This measure will codify this ceremonial designation in statute to make every February ‘Olelo Hawai‘i Month to help perpetuate and encourage the use of ‘Olelo Hawai‘i.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     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 S.B. No. 409, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 409, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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