STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1302-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 3247

S.D. 1

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 Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3247, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish within the Department of Land and Natural Resources a Royal Mausoleum Working Group to create a potential management policy for the royal mausoleum known as Mauna ʻAla.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; County of Maui; Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Kamehameha Schools; Royal House of Kawānanakoa; Royal Order of Kamehameha I; Kiaʻi Iwi Alakaʻi; and five individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Daughters and Sons of the Hawaiian Warriors – Māmakakau; ʻAhahui Kaʻiulani; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that Mauna ʻAla is a historical cultural site and should be managed in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner. Your Committee further finds that the Working Group proposed by this measure would help provide proper stewardship of Mauna ʻAla as a temporary working group.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the working group membership to seven voting members, without identifying the manner of selection;

(2) Directing the working group to:

(A) Determine the process for the selection of the Curator of Mauna ʻAla;

(B) Develop a long-term management plan;

(C) Determine whether the Department of Land and Natural Resources should be the proper steward or whether a co-management agreement is more appropriate;

(D) Address other matters that it deems necessary;

(E) Be exempt from the Sunshine Law but hold quarterly public meetings that are open to the public, make meeting minutes public, and provide public notice of meetings; and

(F) Submit preliminary and final reports to the Legislature;

(3) Inserting a sunset date for the working group of December 31, 2027;

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

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider amending the composition and membership of the working group based upon public testimony it receives that recommends specific members, organizations to be represented, or a specific number of members.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3247, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3247, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM, Chair