H.C.R. 131 Summary

• Office of Hawaiian Affairs is requested to convene and facilitate a working group to review and recommend improvements to the Island Burial Councils within the State Historic Preservation Division.

• Working group membership includes representatives from the State Historic Preservation Division, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, one member from each Island Burial Council, Attorney General's office, William S. Richardson School of Law, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, and an island burial lineal descendant.

• Working group is tasked with examining the Island Burial Councils' duties, their relationship to the State Historic Preservation Division, existing statutes and administrative rules, and ways to improve implementation.

• Working group is requested to provide recommendations on developing a statewide survey and inventory documenting historic properties where burial sites exist or may exist, including state and county-owned properties.

• Working group must submit findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the 2022 Regular Session.