Requesting Google Maps, Apple Maps, And Similar Digital Mapping And Navigation Platforms To Remove, Modify, Or Restrict The Public Identification, Labeling, And Promotion Of Hazardous Coastal Features, Including Mermaid Caves.
H.R. 113 is a House Resolution requesting Google Maps, Apple Maps, and similar digital mapping and navigation platforms to remove, modify, or restrict the public identification, labeling, and promotion of hazardous coastal features in Hawaii, including the Mermaid Caves on the Nanakuli coastline. The resolution is based on concerns that these locations are dangerous natural formations with a history of serious injuries, near drownings, fatalities, and repeated rescue responses, and that digital map listings can encourage unsafe visitation by making such places appear to be recreational destinations.
The resolution asks that any changes to map listings remove recreational or point-of-interest designations and eliminate directions or guidance that encourage public access. It also requests that the Department of Land and Natural Resources coordinate with county agencies, emergency responders, and the platforms themselves to provide documentation and safety data supporting removal or modification requests. The measure expressly states that it is not intended to restrict lawful shoreline access, traditional and customary practices, news reporting, academic research, or historical reference.
Because H.R. 113 is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create enforceable legal requirements. Its practical effect would be advisory and advocacy-based: it urges private mapping platforms to change how hazardous coastal sites are displayed and encourages state and county agencies to supply supporting safety information. The resolution also reinforces existing state interests in shoreline access, cave protection, and public safety, while attempting to reduce liability, rescue burdens, and unsafe public access to dangerous coastal features.
The overall sentiment reflected in the text is strongly supportive of public safety and resource protection. The resolution frames the issue as a preventable safety problem and emphasizes the documented dangers of Mermaid Caves and similar sites. No committee testimony or vote history is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or formal legislative debate in the materials supplied.
The main point of tension is between public safety and public access. Supporters of the resolution appear to believe that map labels and directions contribute to dangerous visitation and should be restricted, while the measure itself acknowledges concerns about preserving lawful shoreline access and traditional, customary, educational, and journalistic uses. Another likely area of contention is the role of private technology companies in deciding whether to remove or alter location information, since the resolution asks platforms to act on state-provided safety data rather than imposing a direct legal mandate.