STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 168
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 671
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 671 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NATIVE HAWAIIANS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to identify all legislative districts in the State in which a majority of the population consists of Native Hawaiians and designate these districts as Native Hawaiian majority districts.
Your Committee finds that if fifty percent is
used as the minimum threshold to determine a majority and if the United States
Census Bureau's category of "Native Hawaiian Alone" is used as the
race category, then none of Hawaii's legislative districts would be classified
as a Native Hawaiian majority district as proposed by this measure. If the United States Census Bureau's category
of "Native Hawaiian Alone or in Combination with Other Races" is
used, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism would need
to do special tabulations to determine which districts would be designated
Native Hawaiian majority districts under this measure.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the agency tasked with identifying the legislative districts from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs;
(2) Specifying that the minimum population threshold for these legislative districts to receive the designation shall be twenty-five percent;
(3) Specifying that the legislative districts shall be designated as Native Hawaiian Notable Districts;
(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 671, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 671, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,
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____________________________ GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair |
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