HI HCR144

Urges the United States Congress to schedule a Congressional Oversight Hearing to investigate the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, particularly regarding its failure to adhere to and enforce state and federal laws.

Urges Congress to amend the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act to require free, prior and informed consent of Native American Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages, and Native Hawaiian organizations before approving development projects.

Cites systemic failures including underfunding of the State Burial Sites Program, noncompliance with state law (Chapter 6E, Hawaii Revised Statutes) from 2005-2021, and inadequate storage of hundreds of ancestral Native Hawaiian remains in non-climate-controlled environments.

Documents multiple audits and federal reviews (2002, 2004, 2007, 2009-2014) identifying corrective action failures and management problems that were never adequately addressed by state agencies.

Directs transmission of certified copies to relevant congressional committees, Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Review Committee, and state agency leadership.