STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1564

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 75

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.R. No. 75 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS TO ESTABLISH AND PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE ENGAGEMENT FORUMS TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITY REGARDING THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to establish and provide legislative engagement forums to educate and empower the Native Hawaiian community regarding the legislative process.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Your Committee finds that indigenous engagement in the local legislative process is extremely important to advancing the self-determination of the Native Hawaiian community. Accordingly, this measure requests the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to establish and provide educational legislative engagement forums specifically tailored to the Native Hawaiian community to enhance equitable participation in the lawmaking process in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by adding language requesting the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to provide an annual report to the Legislature concerning its activities, as it pertains to educational and communal engagement opportunities regarding legislative processes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 75, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 75, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

HERBERT M. RICHARDS, III, Chair