HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-02-19 Letter to Karl Rhoads and Glenn Wakai SB 1451 Relating to State Holidays
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Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
February 19, 2019
Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair
Committee on Judiciary
Senator Glenn Wakai, Vice Chair
Committee Judciary
Dear Chair Rhoads, Vice Chair Wakai, and Committee Members:
RE: SB 1451 Relating to State Holidays
I have seen the near-unanimous support for re-establishing Hawaiian Recognition Day, but I must voice my
objection to the current version of SB 1451. I apologize for not catching this bill when it was heard in its first
committee.
My problem with this bill is not the idea of making Hawaiian Recognition Day a state holiday. Rather, I am
strongly against doing away with Presidents’ Day, part of our national heritage, part of being one of the United
States of America. We are justly proud of the history of the Hawaiian nation, but we are also a part of the United
States. It is not inconsistent to value both ancestries, and one legacy need not, and should not, be sacrificed for the
sake of the other.
I would not have a problem if SB 1451 simply added a new holiday to our calendar. However, I remember
that in order to establish Martin Luther King Day, there was a belief that we could not add an additional holiday to
our schedule, so we did away with Columbus/Discoverer’s Day. If it still is the opinion of the Legislature that there
are “too many holidays,” then I would urge that the holiday that singles out one religion—Good Friday—is the one
that should be eliminated, and such action would be justified in the name of separation of church and state.
Yet another alternative (but I would defer to the advocates whether such an arrangement would be
acceptable or desirable) would be to make Hawaiian Recognition Day the fourth Thursday (or even fourth Friday) in
November. That would combine the new holiday with Thanksgiving, with which it would overlap every few years
anyway.
If the only way to adopt a Hawaiian Recognition Day is to eliminate Presidents’ Day, I hope you will not pass
SB 1451. If the new holiday can be adopted in a way that honors our Hawaiian heritage and recognizes our
American heritage, then I would look forward to supporting such legislation.
Thank you for the work you are doing, and for your consideration of this strongly held belief.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR