STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1736

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1051

S.D. 1

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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1051, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN HISTORY MONTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to designate the month of September as Hawaiian History Month.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Queen Emma Hawaiian Civic Club; Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Foundation; Papa Ola Lōkahi; Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Ohana Unity Party; and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies.

Your Committee finds that the month of September holds deep cultural significance as a time to honor Queen Liliʻuokalani's legacy through various community gatherings, including those organized by Kawaiahaʻo Church, the Liliʻuokalani Trust, and Kamehameha Schools. Establishing September as Hawaiian History Month would create a dedicated time for cultural recognition, educational initiatives, and community engagement centered on the State's unique heritage, ensuring greater awareness of Hawaii's history and the legacy of its last reigning monarch.

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 S.B. No. 1051, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair