Bill Text: HI SCR72 | 2022 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Establishing A Sister-state Relationship Between The State Of Hawaii, United States Of America, And The Autonomous Region Of Madeira, Portugal.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-04-18 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Ohno, Woodson excused (2). [SCR72 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2022-SCR72-Amended.html

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

72

THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

ESTABLISHING A SISTER-STATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE OF HAWAII, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE AUTONOMOUS REGION OF MADEIRA, PORTUGAL.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii has developed and maintained a rich heritage of international relations and cultural exchange since the days of the Hawaiian monarchy in the nineteenth century; and

 

     WHEREAS, since 1981, the Legislature has instituted sister-state relationships as a means of asserting and promoting the State's active participation in international matters; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii currently maintains nineteen sister-state relationships, only one of which is with a European country; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Autonomous Region of Madeira is an archipelago of volcanic origin in the northern Atlantic, located approximately six hundred miles southwest of Lisbon, and is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal; and

 

     WHEREAS, the archipelago of Madeira consists of two inhabited islands--Madeira and Porto Santo; the Desertas Islands comprised of three uninhabited islands; and the Selvagens Islands, an archipelago including three main islands and sixteen uninhabited islets; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1976, the Archipelago of Madeira, along with the Archipelago of the Azores, became autonomous regions under the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic; and

 

     WHEREAS, tourism is currently the main economic driver and largest source of revenue in Madeira; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii and the people of Madeira share a long history and strong bond, which began when one hundred eighty contract laborers from Madeira arrived in Honolulu Harbor on September 30, 1878, on the S.S. Priscilla; and

 

     WHEREAS, during the three decades that followed, approximately eight thousand Madeiran immigrants arrived to work on Hawaii's sugarcane plantations; and

 

     WHEREAS, immigrants from Madeira brought elements of their home culture to Hawaii, many of which became integral parts of life in Hawaii, such as the braguinha, which became the ukulele; linguiça, which became known as Portuguese sausage; and their skills as cattlemen, whose traditions shaped Hawaii's paniolo; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to section 229-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Hawaii Sister-State Committee is tasked with evaluating and developing recommendations for the initiation of all sister-state relationships and forwarding its recommendations to the Legislature; if the Legislature so chooses, it shall implement the recommendation to initiate a sister-state or province relationship by either adopting a concurrent resolution or by enacting session law to that effect; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is actively seeking to expand its international ties and has an abiding interest in developing goodwill, friendship, and economic relations between the people of Hawaii and the people of many nations; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Sister-State Committee has reviewed the Hawaii-Madeira sister-state application and on November 16, 2021, recommended that a sister-state relationship be established between Hawaii and the Autonomous Region of Madeira; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body believes that a sister-state relationship between Hawaii and the Autonomous Region of Madeira will be highly beneficial in expanding tourism, strengthening cultural and historical bonds, and advancing common goals of international peace and fellowship; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that a sister-state relationship between the State of Hawaii, United States of America, and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, is hereby established; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of State; Ambassador of Portugal to the United States of America; Governor; President of the Regional Government of Madeira; Honorary Consul of Portugal in Hawaii; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State Committee.

Report Title: 

Sister-state Relationship; Hawaii; Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal

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