THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	91
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging the legislature to advance legislation and support policies that safeguard individuals in the agricultural community, their families, their livestock and other property, and other individuals under their employment or care by amending the State's self‑defense laws to deprioritize the duty to retreat in certain circumstances.

WHEREAS, the tragic death in 2024 of local rancher Cranston Duke Pia (Pia) brought national, critical attention to an issue disproportionately affecting agricultural workers; and

WHEREAS, Pia was fatally shot in front of his mother in a confrontation with an intruder, whose dogs were attacking Pia's cattle; and

WHEREAS, this incident was not only a personal tragedy and loss for Pia's family and community but also raised broader questions about the risks agricultural workers face, particularly in remote and isolated locations; and

WHEREAS, this incident also served as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in the agricultural sector and ignited debates about the sufficiency of Hawaii's current legal protections for individuals defending their property and lives under similar circumstances; and

WHEREAS, stand your ground laws, which eliminate the duty to retreat before using force in self-defense in certain spaces, have been enacted in twenty-six states; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that the intent of King Kamehameha I's version of a stand your ground law is embodied in his Law of the Splintered Paddle, which has been adopted and incorporated into the Hawaii State Constitution; and

WHEREAS, an amendment to the State's stand your ground law is necessary to deter violent trespassing and the commission of crimes on agricultural lands to protect the lives of, and address the unique challenges faced by, agricultural workers; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body is urged to advance legislation and support policies that safeguard individuals in the agricultural community, their families, their livestock and other property, and other individuals under their employment or care by amending the State's self-defense laws to affirm an actor is not obligated to retreat, has the right to stand on the actor's ground, and may justifiably use deadly force in self-protection if the actor is not engaged in criminal activity and is on agricultural land where the actor has a right to be; provided that the actor was not the original aggressor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President of the Senate.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Stand Your Ground Law; Agricultural Land; Duty to Retreat; Self-Protection; Deadly Force