SSCR1894

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1894

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 563, 564

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 563 and 564, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Hawaii Historic Places Review Board

G.M. No. 563

RALPH KAM,

for a term to expire 06-30-2026; and

G.M. No. 564

GRAHAM HART,

for a term to expire 06-30-2026,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by Ralph Kam and Graham Hart for service on the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board.

RALPH KAM

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Ralph Kam from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the nomination for the appointment of Ralph Kam from one individual.

Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Dr. Kam's background, experience, and dedication to community service qualify him to be appointed to the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board as a professionally qualified member. Dr. Kam, a lifelong educator, currently works as an instructor at Hawaii Tokai International College, where he lectures on various courses covering American, East Asian, and world history. From 1997-2005, and again from 2018-2022, Dr. Kam lectured at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses focused on historic preservation in Hawaii and held field seminars covering the historic buildings of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Dr. Kam also recently served as the Interim Director for the Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. The program, in partnership with the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, has organized an annual preservation lecture series for thirty-six years, and Dr. Kam has curated the series since 2019 and been a featured lecturer. Further, Dr. Kam has published numerous works on Native Hawaiian history and actively presents at conferences on related subjects.

Your Committee finds that Dr. Kam, with his extensive background in historical preservation and Native Hawaiian history, possesses the qualifications to serve on the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board. Dr. Kam is a well-respected historian, researcher, author, and instructor and his working knowledge as a historian will be a complement to the Board. Your Committee finds that Dr. Kam has a thorough understanding of the role and responsibilities of board members and therefore recommends that Ralph Kam be appointed to the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board based on his knowledge, experience, and commitment to public service.

GRAHAM HART

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Graham Hart from the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the nomination for the appointment of Graham Hart from one individual.

Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Mr. Hart's background, experience, and dedication to community service qualify him to be appointed to the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board as a professionally qualified member. Mr. Hart is a licensed architect and currently works at Kokomo Studio LLC as a founding partner, where he specializes in residential architecture, furniture design, and commercial interiors for tropical climates. Mr. Hart also serves as a lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa School of Architecture. Prior to that, Mr. Hart gained experience through nearly two decades of work at prominent local architecture firms. Mr. Hart is actively involved in community organizations and is the current president of the DOCOMOMO (International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites, and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) U.S. Hawaii Chapter. Mr. Hart has received multiple design awards for his work and has published and presented on a wide range of topics, including modern luxury, Japanese post-war architecture, and the Snyder Residence on Oahu.

Your Committee finds that Mr. Hart, with his extensive architectural background, possesses the qualifications to serve on the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board. Mr. Hart's professional practice, publications, and academic contributions illustrate his expertise in the field and make him well-suited to support the Board as it contemplates how best to modernize historical buildings while preserving their original architectural designs. Your Committee finds that Mr. Hart has a thorough understanding of the role and responsibilities of board members and therefore recommends that Graham Hart be appointed to the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board based on his knowledge, experience, and commitment to public service.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair