STAND. COM. REP. NO.  546

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1946

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1946 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure the constitutionally and ethically mandated preservation of the native Hawaiian language and culture by requiring that all state and county documents and letterheads, when newly created or reprinted, contain the accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and language, including the proper Hawaiian punctuation, spelling, macrons, and glottal stops, printed above the English translations. 

 

     This bill also establishes a Hawaiian Language Interim Task Force which shall:

 

     (1)  Provide to the 2008 Legislature, the governor, and the mayors of the respective counties an implementation plan for this Hawaiian language printing requirement including the identification of resources necessary for the implementation of this plan; and

    

     (2)  Identify an official Hawaiian language authority to be

          used by state and county agencies as the official

          reference when printing in Hawaiian.

 

     The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and the Hawaiian Civic Club of Hilo testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Accounting and General Services opposed this measure.  The Attorney General provided comments.

 

     Recognizing that unintentional errors may be made in spelling, typing, and the use of the Hawaiian language, your Committee has amended this bill by providing that an agency's or official's unintentional failure to comply with the Hawaiian language printing requirement does not invalidate an otherwise legal and binding document, and that such failure does not create or become the basis for a claim or action against the agency or official, or between any other persons or entities.

 

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for style, clarity, and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1946, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1946, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair