STAND. COM. REP. NO. 507-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 2491

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2491, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require:

(1) Hawaiian names or words in public acts and transactions to be consistent with Hawaiian spelling and punctuation;

(2) All letterheads, documents, and state highway signs prepared by or for state or county agencies or officials that include Hawaiian names and words to use Hawaiian names, words, spelling, and punctuation consistently;

(3) All emblems and symbols representative of the State and its departments, agencies, and political subdivisions and state highway signs to use the Hawaiian language;

(4) Official letterhead stationery and websites of designated state officials to include the Hawaiian translation of the office's or department's name; and

(5) The University of Hawaii to compile a full list of all dialects and other variations of the Hawaiian language currently in use and submit a report of its findings to the Legislature.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and two individuals.

Your Committee recognizes that the Hawaii State Constitution establishes English and Hawaiian as the official languages of the State. Language is intrinsic to culture and identity. Therefore, it is important for the State to establish a standard for the spelling and punctuation of Hawaiian names and words for the purposes of consistency and uniformity.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that required:

(A) Hawaiian names or words in public acts and transactions to be consistent with Hawaiian spelling and punctuation;

(B) Documents, except letterheads, and state highway signs prepared by or for state or county agencies or officials that include Hawaiian names and words to use Hawaiian names, words, spelling, and punctuation consistently; and

(C) All emblems and symbols representative of the State and its departments, agencies, and political subdivisions, and state highway signs to use the Hawaiian language; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2491, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2491, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair