A concurrent resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.

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

Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 is entitled, ``Authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.'' It speaks to authorizing the use on June 5, 2011, and states that the preparations for the ceremony shall be carried out with such conditions as may be prescribed by the Architect of the Capitol. This is not an unusual event. This will be the 42nd time such a celebration has taken place within the Capitol.

This is Hawaii's way to share its most unique history with all. June 11, the day of celebration, is the birthday of King Kamehameha the great. He was born around 1758 and is credited with unifying the eight major islands by the year 1810. Of course, the islands of Kauai and Niihau claim that they eluded him.

This holiday was first decreed in 1871, when Hawaii was still a kingdom, by Kamehameha V, his great grandson. It was the first holiday proclaimed by the Governor and legislature when Hawaii became a State in 1959.

The celebration in his honor is about 140 years old this year. And what we identify with the celebration, the statue of King Kamehameha and the traditional lei draping, is over 100 years old itself.

The American sculptor, Thomas R. Gould, was commissioned by the Kingdom of Hawaii to create the statue. He did so in 1879 from his studio in Rome. It was completed in 1880, but the ship that was transporting it from Germany sank. It was in 1883 when the second statue made its way to Hawaii.

It stands 8\1/2\ feet tall with the king in his royal garb. The helmet is depicted to reflect that it is made out of red, very rare feathers, as is his cloak. The spear in his left hand is the symbol that his kingdom is willing to defend itself, and yet his right hand is extended in the gesture of aloha, to welcome, that gesture which is synonymous with Hawaii.

The statue that stands here is the mold of the second statue which stands in front of Ali'iolani Hale, the home of the Hawaii Supreme Court. Many, actually, would recognize it as the new headquarters of ``Hawaii Five-0.'' This was dedicated as a gift to the National Statuary Hall from Hawaii in the year 1969.

Of note is the first statue was found and brought to the Big Island of Hawaii, the birth isle of King Kamehameha I. The tradition of the lei draping dates back to 1901, when Hawaii was still a territory. I personally recall it as a child with firefighters draping the leis on the statue using their very long ladders. We remember it clearly with the longest strands of the yellow plumeria blossoms being the flower of choice. These lei drapings take place on the Big Island as well and have for 42 years also taken place in the Capitol.

On June 20, 2010, President Obama issued Proclamation 8534 in honor of the bicentennial of the unification of Hawaii. The President, who like me and others who were born in Hawaii, recognizes the significance of King Kamehameha to our history. A relevant part of his statement is, ``On this bicentennial King Kamehameha Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of the Aloha State, which has immeasurably enriched our national life and culture. The Hawaiian narrative is one of both profound triumph and, sadly, deep injustice. It is the story of Native Hawaiians oppressed by crippling disease, aborted treaties, and the eventual conquest of their sovereign kingdom. These grim milestones remind us of an unjust time in our history, as well as the many pitfalls in our Nation's long and difficult journey to perfect itself. Yet, through the peaks and valleys of our American story, Hawaii's steadfast sense of community and mutual support shows the progress that results when we are united in a spirit of limitless possibility.''

I would like to also add, as Chairman Lungren pointed out, what King Kamehameha is also known for is creating the law of the land, the law, as we call it, the Law of the Splintered Paddle. In Hawaii we also call it Ke Kanawai Mamalahoe. This is an interesting story, and one that people may not believe. It is really the story of a warrior king and his humanity. It was a law to protect the civilians at a time of war. It is a lesson in human life because the king, warrior king, decreed that any human life was precious, and it was wrong for the powerful to mistreat the weaker.

Though many of us think of it as a celebration with parades and, as we call it at home hoolauleas, festivities, and parties, it is more importantly a symbol of that which is Hawaii, that which makes us so unique.

I would like to express my appreciation on behalf of the people of Hawaii, to Speaker Boehner, Chairman Lungren, the architect of the Capitol, the Capitol Police, and all others who assist in this event.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. Con. Res. 16, legislation to authorize the use of the Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for the Lei Draping Ceremony to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha on June 5, 2011. The concurrent resolution, already passed in the Senate, is cosponsored by the two Senators and my good friends from the State of Hawaii, Senator Akaka and Senator Inouye. And I wish to thank all the Hawaiian congressional delegation for their support of this resolution to commemorate this historical event.

Mr. Speaker, the Kamehameha Lei Draping Ceremony in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol has been hosted by the Hawaii congressional delegation and Hawaii State Society of Washington, D.C. since 1969. For more than 40 years now we have conducted this ceremony each year on or about the second week of June to coincide with the celebration of King Kamehameha Day in the State of Hawaii.

Mr. Speaker, the King Kamehameha statue has now been moved to Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, and in doing so, under section 103 of Public Law 110-437, it requires the enactment of a congressional resolution to authorize this annual celebration- hence, the resolution before the House floor today.

Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was one of the greatest Hawaiian warrior kings known among the Polynesian people. After some 2,000 years of tremendous rivalries among the warring chiefs of the Hawaii Islands, it was prophesied among the Hawaiian priests that there will one day be born a high chief who will be a slayer of other high chiefs and he will unite all of the Hawaiian Islands under one rule. King Kamehameha fulfilled that prophecy, after almost 10 years of fighting against other rival chiefs of the Hawaiian Islands.

Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was about 6 feet, 8 inches and weighed almost 300 pounds. He learned the ancient martial arts, known among the Hawaiian people as lua. He also learned military tactics and the art of warfare from his warrior chief, Kekuhaupio. He was able to lift the ancient Naha Stone, which weighed 4,500 pounds. One of his favorite sports to prove agility and combat readiness involved the ability to dodge spears thrown at him simultaneously. King Kamehameha was able to do this with six spears--he would grab two, parry two more, and let the last two go by.

Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha unified the islands and established peace and stability. He was shrewd in building prosperity for his people by encouraging agricultural development and promoting commercial trade in Europe and even with the United States. While he was open to new ideas, he was cautious and circumspect in the old way. He instituted the Law of the Splintered Paddle, or Mamalahoe as known among the Hawaiian people, which protected elderly men and women and children from any harm as they'd travel along the roadside.

Mr. Speaker, S. Con. Res. 16 reaffirms that the United States is built upon diversity, and we all share the same ideals of freedom and democracy and a commitment to justice for all people. These ideals embody the legacy of King Kamehameha the Great. It is only fitting that we not only honor the birth date of this great Hawaiian warrior king, but we continue to have the special ceremony of draping hundreds of flower leis on his statue that now stands prominently in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

I urge my colleagues to support S. Con. Res. 16.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 16) authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

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

I am pleased to support this resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall on June 5 to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha of Hawaii.

King Kamehameha, often called Kamehameha the Great, is a legendary figure in Hawaiian history and culture, and rightly so. He fought heroically for its unity and independence at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries.

His law, or Rule of the Splintered Paddle, protecting noncombatants during wartime has been commended for its justness and established a human rights benchmark that would later be built upon in the Geneva Conventions.

An illustrious statue of King Kamehameha is part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, and it now sits in the Capitol Visitor Center, visible to millions of our fellow citizens.

On June 11, the people of Hawaii will celebrate the 95th annual King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. In adopting the resolution, the Members of the House will join our colleagues in the Senate in authorizing the use of the Capitol Visitor Center for a similar celebration here in Washington, D.C.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

House of Representatives, Committee on House

Administration,

Washington, DC, May 27, 2011.

Hon. John Boehner,

Speaker of the House, House of Representatives,

The Capitol, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Boehner: I write to formally notify you that

the Committee on House Administration hereby waives further

committee consideration of S. Con. Res. 16, a concurrent

resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the

Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday

of King Kamehameha, in order that the legislation may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor for consideration.

Sincerely,

Daniel E. Lungren,

Chairman.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would just say that it gives me great pleasure to join my colleague from Hawaii in bringing this resolution to the floor, particularly because my daughter, who was married in this town on Sunday, is on her way to Hawaii to celebrate her honeymoon and I believe will actually still be there on the 5th of June, so that she will see that up close and personal.

I would urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, aloha. I rise today in support of S. Con. Res. 16, which authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor's Center for the 42nd Annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping.

I would like to thank Speaker Boehner, Chairman Lungren, and Ranking Member Brady for their support of this bill. The location of the Kamehameha statue in Emancipation Hall requires that a concurrent resolution be passed to authorize the use of the space for this event.

The Kamehameha Day Lei Draping has been hosted by the Hawaii Congressional Delegation and the Hawaii State Society of Washington D.C. since 1969. The event has been held on or about June 11th to coincide with the celebration of Kamehameha Day, a state holiday in Hawaii. This year, the event will be held on Sunday, June 5.

Born in 1758, Kamehameha was the first monarch to unify the Hawaiian Islands and is fondly remembered as a leader who was daring, strong, and courageous.

As King of all Hawaii, Kamehameha appointed governors for each island, made laws for the protection of all his people, planted taro, built houses and irrigation ditches, restored important cultural sites, encouraged industries like farming and fishing, managed the island's natural resources, and entered into trading agreements with other nations. The flag design he ordered for his kingdom later became the Seal of the State of Hawaii. He would rule the islands until his death in 1819.

I would like to close by thanking the staff of the Committee on House Administration, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, and the Office of the Sergeant At Arms who each year help make this event possible. I urge my colleagues support of S. Con. Res. 16.

Mahalo nui loa (thank you).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 16, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.