Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park Addition Act of 2003

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this proposed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, Senate bill 254 would expand the boundary of the Kaloko- Honokohau National Historic Park on the eastern shore of the island of Hawaii. It is our understanding that the National Park Service currently rents space in a building near the park for use as a visitors center and administrative offices. Apparently, there is a much larger space for sale in another part of the same structure. This proposed legislation will alter the boundary of the park to include this building so that the Park Service might acquire the new space for park use. This will improve park operations as well as the visitor experience, while also resulting in a long-term cost savings for the National Park Service.

Our colleague and my good friend, the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), introduced companion legislation here in the House, and he is to be commended for his very diligent work in moving that legislation through the Committee on Resources and for his efforts to get this legislation to the House floor. I also want to commend at this time the good Senator from the State of Hawaii, Senator Daniel Akaka, for his sponsorship of this bill in the other body.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), my good friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, my good friend, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), had alluded earlier in his observations about the nature of the way we have been passing legislation. And I just want to second, and certainly support, his comments to the fact that this is probably one of the things that as Members of the sense of comity among our colleagues in the House, especially when the bill is proposed by a Member whose district is directly affected, that by and large whether you are a Republican or Democrat, but at least give the courtesy to that Member, the benefit of doubt that he knows what he is talking about.

For passage of this proposed legislation affecting each Member's district, just as my good friend, the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), has just done here, I think speaks well of the spirit of comity that should exist. And I would think that my good friend, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), had mentioned earlier about how we should go about passing legislation.

The gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case) had made a comment about this Big Island of Hawaii. The Volcano National Park of Hawaii is the most visited national park in the State of Hawaii with over 4 million visitors just last year. And also by way of information to my colleagues of the House, if you visit Statutory Hall, that huge Hawaiian king who was about six foot eight when he was at the height of his power as a warrior king named Kamehameha, with warriors amounting to about 16,000 warriors and with about 900 war canoes came from that Big Island and managed to conquer all of the islands coming under his rulership. Something that is tremendous history.

Some times there is tremendous misunderstanding of my colleagues when you say a Hawaiian, you think that it is the same as being called a Californian or a Texan. I think we need to understand there is a sense of culture in the State of Hawaii. When you are a Hawaiian, there are people who are called native Hawaiians, indigenous people of the State of Hawaii, which I am so proud to be a part of. And as a fellow Polynesian, I commend my good friend, the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), for bringing out some of these pronunciations that I realize sometimes it sounds like Greek to some of

the Members here in the Chamber. A tremendous opportunity for education of my colleagues, I must say, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) for his leadership and management of these proposed bills.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues in the Chamber, a fond aloha. I see that I have arrived in the nick of time to provide some illustration of the nuances of the Hawaiian language as it is spoken, although I must say that the Clerk of our great House and my colleague from Indiana did an admirable job under a lot of pressure. Of course, my colleague from American Samoa is an old expert at this, and I appreciate his pronunciation.

I am very pleased to speak today in strong support of S. 254, a bill introduced by my senior colleague, Senator Akaka, to authorize expansion of the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park located on the Kona Coast on the island of Hawaii, which I am very proud to represent and which is my home, my home island. This legislation is the Senate version of my bill, H.R. 546, which was previously passed out of the House Committee on Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands. Passage of S. 254 in its stead today will allow this vital initiative to proceed directly to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, S. 254 authorizes expansion of the park boundaries to allow the National Park Service to purchase a 2.14-acre parcel with an existing building to serve as the park's headquarters. The park has been without a permanent headquarters since its establishment in 1978 and is now renting space some distance from the park itself.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, an initiative of my former boss and mentor, U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga, was created for the national preservation, protection, and interpretation of native Hawaiian activities and culture. This 1,160-acre park located along the Pacific Ocean in Kona is remarkable not only for its cultural and historical attributes, but as an incredibly beautiful, unspoiled natural treasure.

The park is the site of an ancient Hawaiian settlement, which encompasses portions of four different ahupua'a, or traditional sea-to- mountain land divisions. Its resources include ancient fishponds, kahua, house site platforms, ki'i pohaku, petroglyphs, a holua, stone slide, and heiau, religious sites. The park is of tremendous significance to the people of Hawaii and especially to indigenous native Hawaiians.

The National Park Service is currently renting space for its headquarters at a cost of $150,000 a year. The current headquarters only has parking for three to four visitors at a time, which is woefully inadequate to accommodate the growing number of visitors to this special park. Visitors increased from 54,000 in 2001 to 70,000 in 2002 and are well on track to increase even more in the current year. The proposed acquisition has plenty of parking for visitors and park vehicles. And the existing building has more than adequate space for the National Park Service's administrative needs not only for Kaloko- Honokohau, but for the other fantastic national and historic treasures under the Service's direction along the Kona Coast ranging from Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site to the north, to Pu'uhonua, National Historic Park to the south. The already-developed parcel has the additional benefit of being right next to the park so that the fragile resources within the park proper will not be adversely affected.

For the people of Hawaii and for the indigenous native Hawaiians who hold this park in special esteem, I am deeply grateful to the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) of the Committee on Resources and to my colleagues from Indiana and from American Samoa for facilitating the prompt passage of this measure. I urge its prompt passage. Mahalo.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 254) to revise the boundary of the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in the State of Hawaii, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 254, introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka, would adjust the boundary of the Kaloko-Honokohau

National Park to include two adjacent parcels of land totaling 2.14 acres to be used as the park headquarters to house the administrative, interpretive, resource management, and maintenance functions. Over the long term, this acquisition would prove to be more cost effective than continuing its current lease.

Mr. Speaker, S. 254 is supported by the majority and the minority of the committee and the administration. I would urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.