STAND. COM. REP. NO. 218

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 623

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Culture, Arts, & International Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 623 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP MUSEUM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate federal funds to support the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated as the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Historic Hawaii Foundation, Bishop Museum, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that creating a vehicle to allow the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum to accept and expend federal funds is critical to ensure the museum's collections of Hawaiian and oceanic cultural, historical, and biological artifacts are properly preserved, protected, and maintained.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the fiscal year for the appropriation to allow the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum to expend funds in the current fiscal year, should such funding become available; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2065, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Culture, Arts, & International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 623, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 623, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES, Chair