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Senate committees advance tourism bill amid heated testimony over "Hawaiian sense of place" and board conflicts
Summary
Senate committees voted to pass SB1571 with amendments after extended public testimony and questioning over proposed language changes to “Hawaiian sense of place,” board member restrictions and translation/representation issues.
Senators advanced Senate Bill 1571 on Thursday after a lengthy hearing that drew testimony from community groups, HTA representatives and lawmakers over language that would replace the term “Hawaiian sense of place” with “Hawaii sense of place” and a proposed change to a two‑year waiting period for Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) board members to sit on the HTA board.
Members of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement urged senators to reject key provisions. Hinali Moana Wangkalu, identifying herself as ambassador for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, said she could not support the bill “for two particular points,” citing language in item 2 that would change the statutory phrase and the removal of the two‑year waiting period in section 3. “In Hawaii 2025, there are far too many instances where the presence of kanaka in our places and spaces is highly contingent upon language that ensures our place,” she said.
Madeline McKegg, also testifying for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, said she opposed removing the two‑year restriction, adding that “two years feels like a correct amount of time to make sure there are no conflicts of interest between HVCB and HTA.”
HTA representatives and DBEDT staff testified that the agency had provided written comments and that the board’s legislative PIG (policy interest group) had vetted draft language; HTA staff said the full board had not necessarily taken a formal vote on the bill before the testimony. Senators asked whether the recommendation before them represented full board approval or only the PIG’s position; HTA staff said the PIG had that responsibility under a board resolution.
Committee members also debated translation and cultural normalization of Hawaiian language and how statutory language can be interpreted in practice. Testifiers described concerns that strict statutory wording could be applied in inflexible ways — for example, in landscaping decisions at public facilities — and urged lawmakers to craft language carefully to avoid unintended exclusion or litigation.
After deliberation, the committees voted to pass SB 1571 with SD 1, instructed staff to make technical corrections, and deferred the effective date to July 1, 2050. Senators recorded both yes and no votes during the roll call.
The bill will move forward with the committees’ amendments and with direction to continue stakeholder conversations on cultural language and board conflict safeguards.
