HI HCR101

Nominates former Governor John D. Waihee III for induction into the Aloha Order of Merit, a state honor established in 1993 under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 5-7.6.

Waihee served as Hawaii's fourth Governor from 1986 to 1994 and was the first Native Hawaiian elected governor of any U.S. state.

Key achievements include chairing the Democratic Governors Association in 1992, leading the Education Commission of the States, implementing Hawaii's QUEST Medicaid managed care program, and serving as a delegate to the 1978 Constitutional Convention that established the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Waihee's work on the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission helped lay groundwork for the 1993 federal Apology Resolution (Public Law 103-150).

Currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center and continues civic engagement through public commentary and policy advocacy.