Urging The Counties To Establish, Strengthen, Or Expand Historic Preservation Functions Within County Government To Complement And Support Statewide Historic Preservation Efforts.
HCR177 is a nonbinding House Concurrent Resolution urging Hawaiʻi’s counties to establish, strengthen, or expand historic preservation functions within county government. The resolution emphasizes the importance of protecting historic buildings, archaeological sites, burial sites, cultural landscapes, traditional cultural properties, and other places significant to Native Hawaiian culture and Hawaiʻi’s history. It frames county-level preservation capacity as a complement to the State Historic Preservation Division’s existing responsibilities under chapter 6E, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, and the federal National Historic Preservation Act.
The resolution encourages counties to create or enhance historic preservation offices, commissions, advisory boards, or designated staff within planning or cultural resource departments. It also urges counties to develop local policies, inventories, and procedures to identify, evaluate, and protect historic and cultural resources during land use, zoning, permitting, and development review. The stated goal is to improve coordination with state preservation efforts, provide earlier identification of resources, and add local review capacity and continuity of protection if state-level resources are reduced.
Because HCR177 is a concurrent resolution rather than a bill, it does not change state law or create enforceable duties. Its practical effect is advisory: it signals legislative support for county-level historic preservation infrastructure and encourages local governments to adopt or expand preservation programs. The resolution references existing state and federal preservation frameworks, especially chapter 6E, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, but does not amend those statutes or alter county authority directly.
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive of historic preservation and of strengthening local government capacity to protect cultural resources. The measure presents county participation as a positive complement to state efforts and as a safeguard for Hawaiʻi’s historic and Native Hawaiian cultural heritage. No committee testimony or recorded votes were provided, so there is no evidence in the supplied materials of opposition or divided views.
The main point of potential contention is the allocation of preservation responsibilities between the state and the counties. The resolution assumes counties should take on more active preservation functions, which could raise questions about staffing, funding, administrative burden, and overlap with the State Historic Preservation Division. It also implies concern that state-level capacity could be diminished, making local backstop protections important; that framing may be viewed differently by those who prefer preservation to remain primarily a state function or who are concerned about local development constraints.