STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2145

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2723

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2723 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent 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 Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and seventeen individuals.

Your Committees find that the Office of the Sheriff traces its origins to the Office of the Marshal of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which was founded on April 27, 1846. Sheriffs have served a critical role in Hawaii law enforcement for more than one hundred eighty years. Despite governmental transitions, such as the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, the creation of the Territory of Hawaii, and statehood, the essential functions and legacy of the sheriff's office have endured.

Your Committees further find that the Office of the Sherriff was recently transferred to the Department of Law Enforcement pursuant to Act 278, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022. As a component of the Department of Law Enforcement, the Office of the Sheriff continues to play a vital role maintaining public safety, supporting the rule of law, and providing a law enforcement presence to all courts in the Judiciary. Accordingly, this measure formally recognizes April 27 of each year as State Sheriffs Day in commemoration of the establishment of the Office of the Marshal and island sheriffs in 1846.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Water, Land, Culture and the Arts that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2723 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Water, Land, Culture and the Arts,

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair

________________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair