THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	895
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     MAHELE 1.  Ke hō‘oia nei ka ‘aha‘ōlelo kau kānāwai o ka Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i nei ua ‘ae ‘ia ma ke Kumukānāwai o ka Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i ka mālama ‘ana mai a me ka paipai ‘ana ho‘i i ka ‘ike a me ka nohona Kanaka, ka mo‘olelo, a me ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o Hawai‘i.  Ma loko o ka paukū X, mahele 4, ‘ōlelo ‘ia penei, "e paipai ka Moku‘āina i ke a‘o ‘ana i ka ‘ike a me ka nohona Kanaka, ka mo‘olelo a me ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o Hawai‘i."  A ma loko o ka paukū XII, mahele 7, ‘ōlelo ‘ia penei, "ke hō‘oia hou nei ka Moku‘āina e mālama a ho‘omalu ‘ia nā kuleana a me nā pono a pau, i hana kuluma ‘ia no ke ola pono o ka noho ‘ana, nā ‘ano o ka nohona a me ka ho‘omana i pa‘a mau i nā o Kanaka o ke ahupua‘a, ‘o lākou he mamo na nā Kanaka maoli i noho ma ka pae ‘āina o Hawai‘i nei ma mua o ka makahiki 1778, a koe kekahi kuleana o ka Moku‘āina e ho‘oponopono i ia mau kuleana a me nā pono."  ‘Oiai ua ‘ike ‘ia he pili pono ka ‘ōlelo e ola ana i ka ho‘omau ‘ia ‘ana o ke ‘ano o ka nohona o ka po‘e kānaka, ma ka paukū XV, mahele 4 ke ho‘āmana ‘ia nei ‘elua mau ‘ōlelo kūhelu o ka moku‘āina o Hawai‘i, ‘oia ho‘i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a me ka ‘ōlelo Pelekania.

     Ma hope mai o ka makahiki 1978, ua hō‘oia hou ‘ia e ka Moku‘āina ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i kekahi o nā ‘ōlelo kūhelu, a ua kāko‘o ka ‘aha‘ōlelo i nā hana e ho‘okomo i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā palapala ‘oihana o ka moku‘āina, nā kuni, a me nā hō‘ailona.  Ua mālama ka Moku‘āina i ke koi ‘ia a me ke pela pololei ‘ia i ia mau kākau ‘ana no ka lehulehu.  I kēia mau lā ‘o ka ho‘ohana pono ‘ana i ke kahakō a me ka ‘okina he mea ia e hō‘ike i ka mālama maika‘i ‘ia o ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o kēia mau mokupuni, a he mea nō ho‘i ia e ho‘okō pono ai i ka mana‘o a me ke kumu o ke kumukānāwai o ka moku‘āina.

     I ka makahiki 2012, ua hō‘ole ke kia‘āina i ka pila kānāwai H.B. No. 1984, S.D. 1, C.D. 1, he pila e ho‘okūikawā ana i ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali ‘o ia ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" a e koi ana i ke pela pololei ‘ana o nā hua‘ōlelo Hawai‘i like ‘ole e pa‘i ‘ia nei ma nā palapala a pau o ka moku‘āina a me ke kalana. Wahi a ke kia‘āina, ua hō‘ole ‘o ia i ka pila no ka mea ua hiki iā ia ke ho‘okō i ka mana‘o nui o ia pila ma o kāna ho‘oholo pono‘ī ‘ana. Eia ho‘i, ‘oiai ‘o ia i kūkala aku ‘o Pepeluali ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i", a ma hope mai pūlima a ‘āpono ho‘i i ke kānāwai ‘o S.B. No. 409, Kau Mau o 2013, e ho‘oka‘awale ana iā Pepeluali ‘o ia ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" ma ke kānāwai, ‘a‘ole na‘e i hana ‘ia kekahi mea no ke pela pololei ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā palapala o ka moku‘āina me ke kalana. A eia hou, ke hō‘oia nei ka ‘aha‘ōlelo kau kānāwai, ‘oiai ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i he ‘ōlelo kūhelu o ka Moku‘āina, he mea kūpono ke pela pololei ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, e like nō me ke pela pololei ‘ana ma ka ‘ōlelo Pelekania, ma nā palapala o ka moku‘āina me ke kalana.

     ‘O ke kumu o kēia Kānāwai ‘oia ho‘i ka mālama ‘ana ma lalo o ka mana o ke kumukānāwai o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, a me ka ‘ike a me ka nohona Kanaka ma o ke koi ‘ana e ho‘ohana ‘ia nā inoa Hawai‘i a me ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma kona ‘ano pololei loa a kūpono ma nā palapala, nā po‘o inoa leka, nā hō‘ailona, a me nā kuni, i ka wā e hana mua ‘ia, ka hana hou ‘ia, a i ‘ole ke pa‘i hou ‘ana.

     (English translation of MAHELE 1)

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the Constitution of the State of Hawaii provides for the preservation and promotion of native Hawaiian culture, history, and language.  Article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution provides that "[t]he State shall promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history and language."  Article XII, section 7, of the Hawaii State Constitution provides that "[t]he State reaffirms and shall protect all rights, customarily and traditionally exercised for subsistence, cultural and religious purposes and possessed by ahupua‘a tenants who are descendants of native Hawaiians who inhabited the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778, subject to the right of the State to regulate such rights."  Because maintaining a living language is an integral component of preserving a culture, article XV, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution establishes that English and Hawaiian are the official languages of Hawai‘i.

     Since 1978, the State has reaffirmed Hawaiian as one of its official languages, and the legislature has supported efforts to incorporate the Hawaiian language into official state writings, emblems, and signs.  The State has ensured that these public inscriptions are mandatory, accurate, and spelled correctly.  The use of proper Hawaiian macrons and glottal stops not only shows the deserved respect for the native language of these islands, but also fully comports with the intent and purpose of the state constitution.

     In 2012, the governor vetoed H.B. No. 1984, S.D. 1, C.D. 1, a bill establishing February as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" and requiring that all Hawaiian words used in state and county documents be properly spelled, punctuated, and diacritically marked.  The governor stated that he vetoed the bill because he could achieve the contents of the bill administratively.  However, while he proclaimed February as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" and later signed into law S.B. No. 409, Regular Session of 2013, which designates February as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" in statute, no action was taken regarding the correct use of Hawaiian words in state and county documents.  The legislature further finds that, as an official language of the State, the Hawaiian language warrants the same correct usage as English in state and county documents.

     The purpose of this Act is to ensure the constitutionally and ethically mandated preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture by requiring all newly created, replaced, or reprinted state and county documents, letterheads, symbols, and emblems, to contain accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and language.

     SECTION 2.  Section 1-13.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "[[]§1-13.5[]]  Hawaiian language; spelling.  [Macrons and glottal stops may be used in the spelling of words or terms in the Hawaiian language in] (a)  Effective January 1, 2016, all documents and letterheads prepared by or for state or county agencies or officials[.] shall include accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and words, including proper Hawaiian spelling and punctuation, including but not limited to macrons and glottal stops that punctuate the word to which they relate; provided that any revision to conform any document or letterhead existing on or before January 1, 2016, to the requirements of this section, may be implemented when the document or letterhead requires replacement or reprinting, or otherwise requires revision.  Any rule, order, policy, or other act, official or otherwise, that prohibits or discourages the use of [these symbols] accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and words, as required by this section, shall be void.

     (b)  Hawaiian names and words shall be deemed accurate, appropriate, and authentic when printed in conformance with:

     (1)  "Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian", by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, University of Hawai‘i Press, copyright 1986;

     (2)  "Māmaka Kaiao:  A Modern Hawaiian Vocabulary", developed by the Kōmike Hua‘ōlelo, the Hawaiian Lexicon Committee; or

     (3)  "Place Names of Hawaii", by Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert, and Esther T. Mo‘okini, University of Hawai‘i Press, copyright 1974.

     (c)  Any Hawaiian name or word that is misspelled or incorrectly punctuated or diacritically marked included in a document or letterhead subject to this section shall not invalidate the document or render it unenforceable.  Further, no action may be brought against the State, any county, or any state or county agency, official, or employee on the basis that a document or letterhead prepared by a state or county agency or official violated a provision of this section."

     SECTION 3.  Section 5-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "[[]§5-6.5[]]  State language.  (a)  The Hawaiian language is the native language of [Hawaii] Hawai‘i and [may], effective January 1, 2016, shall be used on all emblems and symbols representative of the State, its departments, agencies, and political subdivisions[.]; provided that for emblems and symbols existing on January 1, 2016, conformance with this section may be delayed until a replacement for the emblem or symbol otherwise is required.

     (b)  The Hawaiian language as used on all emblems and symbols shall be in conformance with the requirements of section 1‑13.5(b)."

     SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

 

Report Title:

Hawaiian Language; Public Documents; Letterhead; Symbols

 

Description:

Requires that all letterheads, documents, symbols, and emblems of the State and other political subdivisions include accurate and appropriate Hawaiian names and language.  Establishes references for accurate, appropriate, and authentic Hawaiian names and words, including proper Hawaiian spelling and punctuation.  (SD1)

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.