STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1439

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 697

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 697, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KALAUPAPA MONTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to designate January of each year as "Kalaupapa Month" to serve as an annual reminder of the importance of Kalaupapa and the significant sacrifices and contributions of its residents throughout the State's history.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa, IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity, The Friends of Iolani Palace, Diocese of Honolulu, and twelve individuals.

Your Committee finds that an estimated eight thousand individuals suspected of leprosy were forcibly removed to a colony established on eight hundred acres of land on the Kalaupapa peninsula of Molokai after the passage of the 1865 "Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy". Your Committee acknowledges the significance of this measure in recognizing the sacrifices of the residents of Kalaupapa and the enduring legacy of Kalaupapa as part of Hawaii's history.

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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 697, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair