STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3786

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 96

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Judiciary, to which was referred S.R. No. 96 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TASK FORCE TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF RESTORING OR CHANGING HISTORICAL PLACENAMES ON STREETS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the establishment of a task force to explore the feasibility of restoring or changing historical placenames on streets.

Your Committees did not receive any testimony on this measure.

Your Committees find that many locations in America are named after racist and negative figures from American history. In the continental United States, many cities, municipalities, and states have changed the names of streets that were named after these racist historical figures. In Hawaii, some streets are named after those who overthrew the monarchy and suppressed the use of the Hawaiian language and culture. Furthermore, some Hawaiian street names were changed to replace their original Hawaiian language names with more generic language. Therefore, the purpose of this measure is to request the formation of a task force to examine the feasibility of appropriately renaming streets.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 96 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair