STAND. COM. REP. NO. 208

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 199

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 199 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN CULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to establish and maintain Native Hawaiian cultural centers within the State;

(2) Require the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to submit reports to the Legislature regarding the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' compliance with this measure; and

(3) Appropriate moneys for the planning and design of the first Native Hawaiian cultural center.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and six individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that there is a lack of dedicated spaces for the practice, education, and celebration of Native Hawaiian traditions in the State. A center open to the public and dedicated to the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture is an important community resource, in recognition of the foundational role of Hawaiian culture in the State. This measure will foster the preservation of the Native Hawaiian culture, history, and traditions in the State.

Your Committee notes that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs testified at the public hearing on this measure that the intent of its Legacy Lands Program is to caretake areas that will be preserved for the practice of Hawaiian culture and other non-conflicting uses such as cultural and learning exchanges.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding language requiring the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to construct one cultural center on Oahu by 2040, with the understanding that construction proceed as quickly as possible;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 199, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 199, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

HERBERT RICHARDS, Chair