Hawaii Senate Bill SB614

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/17/25
• Refer: 1/23/25
• Report Pass: 2/14/25
• Refer: 2/14/25
• Report Pass: 2/28/25
• Engrossed: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/6/25
• Report Pass: 3/13/25
• Refer: 3/13/25

Caption

Relating To Hawaiian Independence Day.

Summary

SB614 would elevate November 28, known as La Kuokoa or Hawaiian Independence Day, from a day of observance to a formal state holiday in Hawaii. The bill’s findings describe the holiday as commemorating the 1843 Anglo-Franco Proclamation, which recognized the independence and sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and frame the measure as a way to honor Hawaiian history, identity, and the cultural significance of the day for Native Hawaiians and other residents. To implement that change, the bill amends section 8-1 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to add La Kuokoa to the list of state holidays. It also repeals section 8-36, which currently designates the day as Hawaiian Independence Day but expressly states that it is not a state holiday. The bill includes standard language on statutory formatting and sets an effective date of July 1, 3000, which appears to function as a placeholder or delayed effective date in the introduced text.

Impact

If enacted, SB614 would change Hawaii law by moving La Kuokoa from a commemorative observance into the statutory list of state holidays, which could affect public-sector scheduling, state office closures, and holiday-related employment practices for state employees and potentially other entities that follow state holiday schedules. It would also remove the existing statutory provision that limits the day to an observance, thereby giving the holiday equal legal status with other listed state holidays under chapter 8 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Sentiment

The available committee votes show strong support for the bill at each stage, with unanimous or near-unanimous passage in the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee, the Senate Transportation and Culture and the Arts Committee, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The bill’s findings and report title also reflect a positive, affirming tone centered on cultural recognition, historical memory, and Hawaiian sovereignty. No opposing testimony or recorded dissent is included in the provided materials.

Contention

The main substantive issue is the symbolic and legal elevation of Hawaiian Independence Day from an observance to a state holiday. Supporters appear to view this as an important recognition of Hawaiian history, sovereignty, and cultural identity, while the bill’s findings explicitly reference the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the injustice of annexation. No specific objections are documented in the provided record, but the change could be viewed as politically or historically sensitive because it touches on Hawaiian sovereignty and the state’s relationship to the Kingdom of Hawaii.