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HCR 122

House concurrent resolution recognizing the week of May 6–12 as National Nurses Week in Vermont

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Angela Arsenault and 104 co-sponsors

HCR 122 asks DLNR to form a collaborative group to identify, protect, and plan respectful reinterment of iwi kūpuna exposed by coastal erosion, and report findings before 2026 sess

Adopted pursuant to Joint Rule 16b
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Bill Summary · HCR 122

HCR 122 — Summary (Concurrent Resolution, 2025)

Status: Report and Resolution Adopted; Transmitted to House
Introduced: March 24, 2025
Classification: Concurrent resolution
Primary sponsors: Rep. Kila; Rep. Aiu
Related: HR 118, HR 102 (companions)

Purpose / Intent

HCR 122 requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to form a collaborative working group to identify, monitor, and coordinate protection and respectful reinterment of Native Hawaiian iwi kūpuna (ancestral human remains) that are being exposed by coastal erosion at culturally sensitive shorelines across the State.

Key provisions

  • Requests DLNR to establish a collaborative working group to survey, identify, and monitor shorelines impacted by coastal erosion where iwi kūpuna have been or may be exposed.
  • Specifies membership (as amended in HD1) to include:
    • Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (or designee)
    • Chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees (or designee)
    • Administrator of DLNR’s State Historic Preservation Division (or designee)
    • Representative from DLNR’s Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (HD1)
    • Representative(s) of the Island Burial Councils (selected by BLNR Chair)
    • One representative each from the City & County of Honolulu, County of Hawaiʻi, County of Maui, and County of Kauaʻi (selected by each Mayor)
  • Requests the group to:
    • Establish a process to address iwi kūpuna exposed on shorelines and ensure protection from adverse impacts.
    • Assess nearby public lands to identify potential, suitable reinterment sites.
    • Consider funding methods to support the group’s work, including construction of secure, culturally appropriate reinterment vaults.
  • Requires the working group to submit a report of findings and recommendations (including any proposed legislation) to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2026.
  • Directs certified copies of the resolution to DLNR, OHA, SHPD, OCCL (HD1), and island mayors.

Who is affected / likely to be involved

  • State agencies: DLNR (including SHPD and OCCL), Office of Hawaiian Affairs
  • Island Burial Councils and other Native Hawaiian cultural stakeholders
  • County governments (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kauaʻi)
  • Communities near culturally sensitive shorelines (e.g., Lahilahi Beach Park, Kaulahao Beach, Old Kona Airport Beach Park)
  • No regulatory or statutory authority is created by the resolution itself; it requests action and coordination.

Legal effect, funding, and limitations

  • As a concurrent resolution, HCR 122 is non-binding and does not by itself appropriate funds or change statute. It requests (asks) DLNR to take specified coordination steps and to consider funding options (including for reinterment vaults) but does not authorize expenditure.
  • Any implementation requiring budgetary action or statutory change would require subsequent legislation or appropriations.

Timeline and legislative action

  • The working group must report to the Legislature by 20 days before the 2026 Regular Session.
  • Legislative history shows committee referrals, favorable committee recommendations (WAL, FIN, WTL), and adoption in final form (reported adopted 04-17-2025). Previous related activity appears in 2024, indicating earlier companion/resolution iterations.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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