STAND. COM. REP. NO. 107

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 731

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 731 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to designate November 28 of each year as La Kuokoa, Hawaiian Independence Day, to celebrate the historical recognition of the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's special heritage and the various holidays currently celebrated distinguish Hawaii from other states. La Kuokoa commemorates the date of November 28, 1843, when, during the reign of Kamehameha III, Great Britain and France recognized the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom through the signing of the Anglo-French Declaration, thereby making it known to the world that the Hawaiian islands were one sovereign political unit under the complete and exclusive control of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Your Committee further finds that La Kuokoa was first recognized as a holiday in Hawaii in 1847, was recognized as an official holiday of the Republic of Hawaii in 1896, and continued to be celebrated as an official holiday by the Territory of Hawaii in 1902. Your Committee believes that the State's acknowledgment of La Kuokoa, or Hawaiian Independence Day, is an appropriate and meaningful way to celebrate the recognition of Hawaii's independence and its rich and diverse culture and history.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 731 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair