STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1668

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 217

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 217, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE JUDICIARY TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE ESTABLISHING HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE RESOURCES FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII JUDICIARY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Judiciary convene a task force to examine establishing Hawaiian language resources for the State of Hawaii Judiciary.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Aha Punana Leo; Ho‘omana Pono, LLC; and one individual.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Judiciary and Hawaii Bilingual-Hawaii Olelo Palua.

     Your Committees find that the Hawaii State Constitution establishes the Hawaiian language as an official language of the State.  In recent decades, great strides have been made to bring about a renaissance of the Hawaiian language.  Although there has been momentum in the revitalization of the Hawaiian language, in order for the Hawaiian language to thrive, its usage must be normalized in everyday life.  Convening a task force to examine the establishment of Hawaiian language resources for the Judiciary would promote the normalization of the usage of Hawaiian language.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 217, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 217, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair

________________________________ MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair