STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1681

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.C.R. No. 99

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 Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 99 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE STATE LGBTQ+ COMMISSION AND THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO REVIEW THE HAWAII REVISED STATUTES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE TERMINOLOGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the State LGBTQ+ Commission and Commission on the Status of Women to collaborate and conduct a comprehensive review of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and recommend amendments to incorporate gender-neutral terminology.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i State LGBTQ+ Commission and Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women.

Your Committee finds that many existing statutes within state law contain binary, gendered language that does not fully reflect the diverse identities of the State's residents. This measure seeks to address this issue by requesting the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission and Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to review state laws and recommend updates to incorporate gender-neutral language, ensuring that Hawaii's legal framework reflects the values of respect and aloha for all residents.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its title to make technical amendments;

(2) Extending the submission deadline for the report by the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission and Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to the Legislature to December 31, 2026; and

(3) 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 Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 99, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 99, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services & Homelessness,

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair