HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.R. NO. 161 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE department of accounting and general services AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND Natural resources TO RESTORE RESPECT AND dignity to THE ONLY ROYAL PALACE In the nation.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.R. NO. 161
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.R. NO.
161
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE RESOLUTION
URGING THE department of accounting and general services AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND Natural resources TO RESTORE RESPECT AND dignity to THE ONLY ROYAL PALACE In the nation.
WHEREAS, Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States in which a reigning monarch lived; and WHEREAS, Iolani Palace is an icon of the State of Hawaii; and WHEREAS, Iolani Palace should be one of the State's most protected historical sites due to its importance to the people of Hawaii, and especially to Hawaii's host culture and the Native Hawaiian people; and WHEREAS, the grounds of Iolani Palace should be revered as highly as the Palace itself; and WHEREAS, thousands of tourists visit Iolani Palace annually, and many have noted that among the most notable palaces worldwide, Iolani Palace is the only royal palace that contains a parking blacktop upon its grounds; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the Department of Accounting and General Services is urged to submit to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026, a cost analysis and proposed legislation, if necessary, for removing the blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Place; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon removal of the blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, the Department of Land and Natural Resources shall develop and maintain grounds to replace the existing blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, reflecting as much as possible, the original palace grounds landscape as per photos from the Hawaii State Archives; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Comptroller of the Department of Accounting and General Services, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Executive Director of the Friends of Iolani Palace. OFFERED BY: _____________________________
WHEREAS, Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States in which a reigning monarch lived; and
WHEREAS, Iolani Palace is an icon of the State of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, Iolani Palace should be one of the State's most protected historical sites due to its importance to the people of Hawaii, and especially to Hawaii's host culture and the Native Hawaiian people; and
WHEREAS, the grounds of Iolani Palace should be revered as highly as the Palace itself; and
WHEREAS, thousands of tourists visit Iolani Palace annually, and many have noted that among the most notable palaces worldwide, Iolani Palace is the only royal palace that contains a parking blacktop upon its grounds; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the Department of Accounting and General Services is urged to submit to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026, a cost analysis and proposed legislation, if necessary, for removing the blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Place; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon removal of the blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, the Department of Land and Natural Resources shall develop and maintain grounds to replace the existing blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, reflecting as much as possible, the original palace grounds landscape as per photos from the Hawaii State Archives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Comptroller of the Department of Accounting and General Services, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Executive Director of the Friends of Iolani Palace.
OFFERED BY: _____________________________
OFFERED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title: Iolani Palace; Restoration; Preservation; Historic Site
Report Title:
Iolani Palace; Restoration; Preservation; Historic Site