STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1876-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.C.R. No. 122

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 122 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ALLOW AN OLELO HAWAII PATHWAY UNDER THE NIIHAU DIALECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the University of Hawaii to allow an Olelo Hawaii Pathway under the Niihau dialect.

Your Committee has received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that while there have been Hawaiian language initiatives which have received support of legislation and policy by the legislature, the linguistic needs of Niihau have been overlooked resulting in a lack of substantive support for Olelo Niihau's proliferation. Your Committee also finds that Olelo Niihau is its own distinct language which has developed separately from Olelo Hawaii and has been utilized with a different degree of societal relevancy than Olelo Hawaii and that Hawaii has a unique opportunity to preserve and proliferate this dialect of the Hawaiian language. Your Committee believes that the University of Hawaii should develop an Olelo Hawaii Pathway concentrating specifically on Olelo Niihau.

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.C.R. No. 122 and recommends its adoption.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair