HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

119

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

Establishing a joint task force to study the feasibility of transferring the state historic preservation division of the department of land and natural resources to the university of hawaii at manoa.

 

 

WHEREAS, historic sites in our islands are tangible evidence of a colorful, rich heritage and provide our society with a sense of continuity; and

WHEREAS, the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) works to preserve and sustain reminders of earlier times which link the past to the present; and

WHEREAS, SHPD's three branches, History and Culture, Archaeology, and Architecture, strive to accomplish this goal through a number of different activities; and

WHEREAS, because public education is an important function of SHPD, when staff time and funding allows, SHPD strives to make information on the historic properties, history, and culture of Hawaii available to the public; and

WHEREAS, schedules permitting, staff members make presentations, mainly to school classes, on topics relating to historic preservation in their area of expertise and on related topics; and

WHEREAS, SHPD staff members actively participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences on a variety of topics (i.e., stonewall building, cultural landscapes, community-based planning, and Hawaiian archaeology); and

WHEREAS, SHPD basic core staff members are required to meet minimum federal staff requirements, which include a graduate degree in their area of expertise or closely related field, or in the case of architecture, a professional license and the professional staff includes members with master's or doctoral degrees in architecture, history, anthropology, communication, law, and other closely related fields; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH) also has substantial assets in and has a major commitment to ancient Hawaii, including its School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies, Center for Hawaiian Studies, Department of Anthropology, and Department of Ethnic Studies; and

WHEREAS, the transfer of SHPD to UH will not only segregate the study of historic sites from the many disparate functions of DNLR, but consolidate state resources that focus on historic sites; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that a joint task force of the House of Representatives and the Senate be established and convened to study and determine whether SHPD should be transferred to UH; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint task force be composed of:

(1) The Chairperson of the House Standing Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs or the Chairperson's designee;

(2) The Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture or the Chairperson's designee;

(3) The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or the Chairperson's designee;

(4) The Chairperson of the Board of Regents of UH or the Chairperson's designee;

(5) The President of UH or the President's designee;

(6) The Chairperson of the Anthropology Department of UH or the Chairperson's designee;

(7) The Chairperson of the Ethnic Studies Department of UH or the Chairperson's designee;

(8) The Dean of the School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies of UH or the Dean's designee;

(9) The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources or the Chairperson's designee;

(10) Administrator of SHPD or the Administrator's designee;

(11) The Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control or the Director's designee;

(12) One representative of each of the following fields, appointed by the Speaker of the House:

(A) Archaeology;

(B) Planning; and

(C) Engineering;

(13) One representative of each of the following fields, appointed by the Senate President:

(A) Archaeology;

(B) Planning; and

(C) Engineering;

and

(14) One member appointed by the Governor;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chairperson of DLNR or the Chairperson's designee serve as the chair of the task force and coordinate the meetings and seek assistance from agency and program staff, as necessary and appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force's mission shall be to:

(1) Determine the initial question of whether it is feasible and practical to transfer SHPD to UH;

(2) If yes, specify the details of the transfer; and

(3) Prepare the necessary legislation;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint task force is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chairperson of the Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs of the House of Representatives, Chairperson of the Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture of the Senate, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division, Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, President of the University of Hawaii, Dean of the School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chairperson of the Anthropology Department of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Chairperson of the Ethnic Studies Department of the University of Hawaii at Manoa,

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Feasibility Study of State Historic Preservation Division Transfer from DLNR to UH