STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1891

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.R. No. 113

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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.R. No. 113 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE WILLIAM S. RICHARDSON SCHOOL OF LAW TO ESTABLISH THE BURIAL SITES WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE THE BURIAL SITES PROGRAM UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES' STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a working group that will review operations of the State Island Burial Councils, housed within the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and for it to provide recommendations to the Legislature on how to best implement their findings.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure by one individual. Your committee also received comments from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your committee finds that relations between the DLNR, State Historic Preservation Division, the Burial Councils and the Hawaiian community at large has become strained over the year. This has led to a lack of trust, on all sides, as well as poor communication among these interest groups. This measure could help ease these tensions by allowing the affected parties to come together to determine an appropriate way forward.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its title to read, "HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BURIAL SITES WORKING GROUP TO REVIEW AND RECOMMEND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ISLAND BURIAL COUNCILS;"

(2) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.C.R. No. 131, H.D. 2 (Regular Session of 2021), which requests the establishment of a Burial Sites Working Group to review and recommend improvements to the Island Burial Councils; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 113, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 113, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair