Authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha I.

Mr. Speaker, aloha. I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 83, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller), who I had the pleasure and honor of serving with on the House Homeland Security Committee, for her strong support of this resolution and her recognition of the legacy and the history of King Kamehameha in Hawaii and the lessons that we have all learned and that continue to remain relevant to the people's work that we do here every day.

Your support and recognition of this means a lot to me personally, but also to the people of my great home State of Hawaii, and I also have to mention that my mother is from your home State of Michigan, so I appreciate your home as well.

I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 83, authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha I.

Kamehameha was also known as Kamehameha the Great. He was a skilled and intelligent military leader, monarch, and statesman. He established his reputation and dynasty by uniting all of Hawaii under one rule, thereby bringing and ensuring peace to the islands and protection to his people during a time of Western colonialism.

He was born in a small town called North Kohala in my district on the island of Hawaii around 1758, descending from the royal families of Hawaii and Maui.

As a young man, he distinguished himself as a talented warrior and military strategist. By 1795, Kamehameha had conquered the islands of Maui, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Molokai, and Oahu. He later acquired Kauai and Niihau through a treaty in 1810, uniting all of Hawaii under his control and creating a kingdom recognized and respected around the world.

As king, Kamehameha focused on governing Hawaii in a manner that perpetuated the native Hawaiian culture while also integrating foreign influences. He appointed governors for each island, made laws for the protection of all, planted taro, built houses and irrigation ditches, restored heiau, and promoted international trade.

Prominent European Otto von Kotzebue wrote:

The king is a man of great wisdom and tries to give his

people anything he considers useful. He wishes to increase

the happiness and not the wants of his people.

These words are as relevant back then as they are today.

One of Kamehameha's enduring legacies is the Kanawai Mamalahoe, or Law of the Splintered Paddle, which serves as a model for human rights policies on noncombatants during wartime.

It was created as a result of a military expedition in which Kamehameha was violently struck by a fisherman trying to protect his family. Chastened by this experience, Kamehameha declared:

Let every elderly person, woman, and child lie by the

roadside in safety.

This law, which provided for the safety of civilians, is estimated to have saved thousands of lives during Kamehameha's military campaigns. It became the very first written law of the Kingdom of Hawaii and remains in the Hawaii State Constitution to this very day.

In 1871, Kamehameha Day was established to celebrate and honor one of Hawaii's greatest leaders. Today, it is observed as a State holiday, attracting tourists from around the world, filled with parades and lei draping at the statues that exist in his honor.

One of these statutes is very proudly displayed here in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center. Kamehameha is depicted with a spear in his left hand, as a reminder that he brought wars to an end. His right hand is extended with open palm as a gesture of the aloha spirit.

For the last 43 years, we have celebrated Kamehameha Day here in our Nation's Capital. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 83 to authorize the use of Emancipation Hall as we continue this tradition in celebrating the birthday of King Kamehameha I.

Mr. Speaker, just in closing, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 83 so that we can continue this tradition and remember and honor and apply the legacy and history of one of Hawaii's greatest leaders.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 83, authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor's Center for the lei draping ceremony on June 8, 2014 to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha the Great. For more than forty years, the Hawai`i Congressional delegation and the Hawai`i State Society have hosted a lei draping ceremony which coincides with the celebration of King Kamehameha Day in the State of Hawai`i on June 11th.

King Kamehameha the Great, also known as King Kamehameha the first, was born in North Kohala on the island of Hawai`i and grew to become one of the most powerful figures in Hawaiian history. He was a superior warrior and was the only man in the history of the Hawaiian people to unite the Islands after nearly a decade of warfare.

According to Hawaiian legend, on the day King Kamehameha was born, a new star appeared in the heavens, signaling the birth of a great chief. At the time of his birth, the Hawaiian Islands were in a state of chaos, with rival chiefs constantly at odds with each other. King Kamehameha utilized western advisors and technology, such as muskets and cannons, to aid him in combat during his quest to unify the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, King Kamehameha fulfilled his goal of uniting the Kingdom with the surrender of the Chief from Kauai.

With his forward thinking and vision for Hawai`i, Kamehameha ensured that the newly united Hawaiian Kingdom would not crumble after his death by establishing a uniform legal system and promoting a fruitful trade with Western powers. He is noted for Kanawai Mamalahoe, or the Law of the Splintered Paddle. It is said that when King Kamehameha led a raid, his foot got caught in between two rocks. A couple of local fishermen, who were fearful of the warrior, not realizing that it was

the great king, hit Kamehameha with a paddle on the head, so hard that it splintered into thousand pieces. King Kamehameha survived the incident and those same fishermen were brought to him for punishment. However, to their surprise, the King did not seek revenge for the incident but rather blamed himself and declared that every innocent, unarmed man, woman and child would be protected during wartime. The Law of the Splintered Paddle has become the basis for a number of humanitarian laws of war and was the first written law in the Kingdom of Hawai`i. This reflects King Kamehameha's devotion to protecting the weak during times of war and his belief that every human life was precious beyond comprehension.

King Kamehameha was also steadfast in preserving the traditional Hawaiian cultural beliefs and practices. He was a strong follower of the Hawaiian religion and deeply valued the long standing kapu system, the laws and regulations of ancient Hawai`i.

Without King Kamehameha and the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, Hawai`i would have been torn apart by competing western interests. The Kingdom of Hawai`i, with a united front, was able to resist western colonialism until the overthrow in 1893. For the people of Hawai`i, the reign of King Kamehameha, celebrated on June 11th, represents a time of great prosperity and peace in Hawaiian history. It serves a reminder of the greatness in the Hawaiian people and the everlasting respect for the King who united Hawai`i while remaining true to the traditions and beliefs that have guided the people for hundreds of years and many more to come.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules

and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 83) authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha I.

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

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

I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 83, which authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall on June 8 to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha, a legendary figure in the State of Hawaii.

Commemorating the life and legacy of King Kamehameha is an opportunity for the Hawaiian people to celebrate their very, very rich history and culture, not just amongst themselves, but with the entire world.

Such a celebration is fitting to take place in our Nation's Capitol, where Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike can learn about this extraordinary ruler.

On June 11, the people of Hawaii will celebrate the annual Kamehameha Day, commemorating the life of Kamehameha the Great who, between 1795 and 1810, unified the islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii. The resolution before us today will authorize the use of this space for the celebration of his life and great accomplishments.

History, Mr. Speaker, documents King Kamehameha as a fierce warrior who fought for unity and independence. Many people of his time and for centuries later have placed a high regard on King Kamehameha for ruling with fairness and compassion. He also opened up Hawaii to the rest of the world through his leadership and encouragement of trade and peaceful activity.

He is actually remembered for his law, which is known as the Law of the Splintered Paddle, which specifically protects civilians in wartime and is a model for human rights around the world today.

So it is more than fitting that the statute of King Kamehameha, which was added to the National Statuary Hall collection by Hawaii in 1969, is now prominently displayed in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center.

I thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard) for introducing this concurrent resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I would just close by again thanking my colleague from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard) for introducing this resolution. It was our great privilege to serve together on the House Homeland Security Committee. I was somewhat sorry, but glad at the same time, for her to now be a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

I also want to thank her for her service to our country in the military before she came to Congress. It was interesting for me listening to your comments about this great king and this

great leader of the great people of Hawaii.

And so certainly, Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of our colleagues to support the concurrent resolution as well, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, May 7, 2014, I was at home in Wisconsin taking care of my amazing wife and our new baby daughter. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following ways: H. Res. 574-- A Resolution Recommending that the House of Representatives find Lois G. Lerner, Former Director, Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ``yea;'' H.R. 863--To establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women's History Museum of 2013, as amended ``yea;'' H. Con. Res. 83--Authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha ``yea;'' H. Res. 565--Calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of conservative non-profit groups by the Internal Revenue Service ``yea.''

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate

proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 83, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the current resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.