STAND. COM. REP. NO. 764-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2723

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Culture & Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2723 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE SHERIFFS DAY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish April 27 of each year as State Sheriffs Day to commemorate the establishment of the Office of the Marshal of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1846.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement.

Your Committee finds that sheriffs have played a vital role in Hawaii's law enforcement system for more than one hundred eighty years. As the only law enforcement office in the United States established by a monarch, the Hawaii Sheriff's Office holds a unique and distinguished place in American history, as it originated under a sovereign monarch and formed an integral part of the Hawaiian Kingdom's justice system. Over the years, the functions historically carried out by sheriffs have continued within the State's law enforcement framework and are now administered through the Department of Law Enforcement. By designating April 27 of each year as State Sheriffs Day, this measure commemorates the historic establishment of these positions and honors the enduring service of state sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in safeguarding public safety throughout Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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 Culture & Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2723, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2723, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Culture & Arts,

____________________________

JEANNE KAPELA, Chair