Hawaii House Bill HCR124

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/14/25
• Report Pass: 3/27/25
• Refer: 3/27/25
• Report Pass: 4/3/25
• Refer: 4/4/25

Caption

Encouraging The Kawaihuelani Center For Hawaiian Language Of The University Of Hawaii At Manoa To Further Provide Learning Resources And Opportunities That Promote Hawaiian Language And Culture.

Summary

HCR124 is a nonbinding House Concurrent Resolution that encourages the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to expand learning resources and opportunities that support Hawaiian language and culture. The resolution highlights the historical suppression of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the revival of Hawaiian-language education through programs such as Pūnana Leo and Kula Kaiapuni, and the ongoing need for materials and activities that help students and families use Hawaiian at home and in their communities. The measure specifically points to the Center’s I Hoa na Moolelo Project, which publishes a quarterly children’s magazine in Hawaiian for Kaiapuni and charter school students in grades 2-6 on Oahu. It asks the Center, through that project, to continue providing Hawaiian language and literacy resources and to create more opportunities for the language to flourish outside the classroom. The resolution also directs that a certified copy be sent to the Director of the Kawaihuelani Center.

Impact

Because HCR124 is a concurrent resolution, it does not amend or create state law and does not impose legal obligations on any agency or institution. Its practical effect is advisory and symbolic: it expresses legislative support for Hawaiian language revitalization and encourages the University of Hawaii’s Kawaihuelani Center to continue and expand educational outreach. The resolution may help reinforce public and institutional attention to Hawaiian-language resources, but it does not change statutes governing education, the University of Hawaii, or Kula Kaiapuni programs.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive and affirmative toward Hawaiian language preservation, cultural revitalization, and immersion education. The bill frames Hawaiian language use as historically important and currently in need of continued support, and it presents the Kawaihuelani Center’s work as a positive model. No opposing views, recorded votes, or committee objections are included in the available context, suggesting little to no visible controversy in the legislative record provided.

Contention

There is no documented committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct opposition is recorded. The resolution does, however, implicitly acknowledges ongoing challenges in Hawaiian-language education, including teacher shortages, insufficient facilities, limited curriculum support, and limited access to home-based learning materials. Any contention would likely center not on the resolution’s purpose, but on the broader resource needs of immersion programs and whether additional funding or institutional support should accompany these encouragements.