STAND. COM. REP. NO.  108

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1424

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 1424 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE CAPITOL AREA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address memorialization of veterans of the armed forces and of Hawaiian leaders within the State Capitol area.

Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Designates the Hotel Street mall behind the State Capitol building as Memorial Mall and facilitates the placement of war memorials and other monuments along the mall; and

     (2)  Establishes a ho'onoho pono working group within the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to interchange the Eternal Flame memorial with the Queen Lili'uokalani statute on the State Capitol grounds and to design a bronze frieze to forever memorialize Hawaiian rulers.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the United States Army Garrison-Hawaii, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and one individual.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Veterans Services and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

     Your Committee finds that the current locations of the Eternal Flame and the Spirit of Lili'uokalani statue are not the most appropriate locations for the monuments.  Your Committee further finds that a more appropriate location for the Eternal Flame would be near the existing Korean/Vietnam War memorial and that creation of a Memorial Mall in the area behind the State Capitol would provide a quiet and peaceful place for reflection that is more suitable to such memorials.  Your Committee finds that a more appropriate location for the Spirit of Lili'uokalani statue would be closer to her home, Washington Place and the Queen's Medical Center.  Your Committee further finds that memorials representing other Hawaiian rulers should be created and placed alongside the Spirit of Lili'uokalani statue in a location more meaningful to their history.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1424 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair