203
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 2
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING THE LEGISLATURE TO ESTABLISH A HISTORICAL DISTRICT
    COMMITTEE.



 1        WHEREAS, tourism is Hawaii's number one industry and the
 2   State is becoming increasingly dependent on tourism to provide
 3   jobs and tax revenues; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the considerable benefits of cultural and
 6   historical tourism have greatly increased in importance in
 7   recent years, as evidenced by a 1998 conference devoted to this
 8   subject by the Historic Hawai`i Foundation and the
 9   establishment of the Native Hawaiian Tourism and Hospitality
10   Association; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, Hawaii's tourism industry badly needs to enhance
13   the visitor experience by offering more interesting and
14   historically significant attractions; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, over the past decade, Hawaii has experienced a
17   profound reawakening of interest in its past, with special
18   interest in its royal history; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, King Kamehameha I is, many historians will say,
21   the most important figure in Hawaiian history; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, the King Kamehameha I statue, together with
24   Iolani Palace, forms the historical "heart" of Hawaii and would
25   logically constitute a historical district in downtown
26   Honolulu; and
27   
28        WHEREAS, this downtown area comprises government buildings
29   for state, county, and federal offices, all within walking
30   distance of each other, including court houses, a post office,
31   mission houses, and a church of historic and architectural
32   value; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, the traffic, lack of signage and many parking
35   lots, all contribute to an inability to fully appreciate the
36   special historic significance of this area surrounding the King
37   Kamehameha I statue; and
38   

 
Page 2                                                     203
                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        


 1        WHEREAS, it is in the highest interest of the people of
 2   Hawaii and Hawaii's visitor industry to unify this section of
 3   downtown through a master plan that highlights and beautifies
 4   this area; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, the establishment of historical district
 7   surrounding the King Kamehameha I statue would offer a
 8   significant benefit for Hawaii's visitor industry and a source
 9   of pride for residents of this State; now, therefore,
10   
11        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
12   of the State of Hawai`i, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
13   Representatives concurring, that the Legislature establish a
14   Historical District Committee that would be composed of the
15   Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Water, Land and Hawaiian
16   Affairs, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Tourism, the
17   King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, the Office of Hawaiian
18   Affairs, the Hawaiian Homes Commission, the City and County of
19   Honolulu, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Hawaii Visitors and
20   Convention Bureau, the Friends of Iolani Palace, the Hawaiian
21   Studies Program of the University of Hawaii, the Historic
22   Preservation Division and the Parks Division of the Department
23   of Land and Natural Resources, the Royal Order of Kamehameha,
24   the Downtown Neighborhood Board, the Native Hawaiian Tourism
25   and Hospitality Association, the Hawaii Supreme Court and the
26   Bishop Museum, among others, to study the design and cost of
27   the statue and make recommendations for changes to the
28   Historical District; and
29   
30        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Historical District
31   Committee complete their work and provide the Senate Committee
32   on Water, Land and Hawaiian Affairs with recommendations,
33   including recommendations for funding, twenty days before the
34   beginning of the regular legislative session of 2000; and
35   
36        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
37   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the
38   Office of Hawaiian Affairs; the Chief Justice of the Hawaii
39   Supreme Court; the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes
40   Commission; the Director of Business, Economic Development, and
41   Tourism; the Arts Program Specialist of the King Kamehameha
42   Celebration Commission; the Chairperson of the Hawaii Tourism
43   Authority; the President of the Native Hawaiian Tourism and

 
 
 
 
Page 3                                                     203
                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        


 1   Hospitality Association; the Executive Director of the Historic
 2   Hawai`i Foundation; the Director of the Bishop Museum; the King
 3   Kamehameha Celebration Commission; and the Order of Kamehameha.