Bill Text: HI HR17 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Recognizing James T. Funaki, Esq. For His Exemplary Career And Extraordinary Contributions To The House Of Representatives And The State Of Hawaii.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 46-5)

Status: (Passed) 2020-01-30 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HR17 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-HR17-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

17

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING james t. funaki, esq. FOR HIS EXEMPLARY CAREER AND EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE STATE OF HAWAII.

 

 

 


WHEREAS, for over 50 years, the House of Representatives has been blessed to have JAMES T. FUNAKI, ESQ. provide wise counsel and invaluable legal services in various capacities, from when he first entered government service as a Third Reading Attorney for the Third Legislature to his last position as Special House Counsel for the Thirtieth Legislature; and

 

WHEREAS, JAMES T. FUNAKI, ESQ. grew up in the plantation village of Olaa on the Big Island and after graduating from Hilo High School, he earned a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and, like many other young men of his time, served honorably in the United States Army before beginning his distinguished career as an attorney; and

 

WHEREAS, soon after graduating from law school in Michigan, JAMES T. FUNAKI, ESQ. returned to Honolulu with his young family and passed the Hawaii Bar in 1959 and, along with other young attorneys of his time, was inspired by the ideology of the Democratic party, which was beginning to gain momentum in the newly-admitted state, leading to his first job with the House of Representatives; and

 

WHEREAS, one of his greatest achievements during his legal career was representing the House of Representatives before the United States Supreme Court in Burns v. Richardson, which affirmed the constitutionality of Hawaii's earliest voter apportionment plan; and

 

WHEREAS, JAMES T. FUNAKI, ESQ. maintained a successful private practice as a land use attorney for most of the years that he served the House and continues to maintain a Martindale-Hubbell AV peer rating -- the highest possible rating demonstrating that a lawyer's peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence and, notwithstanding his extraordinary resume, his kind and approachable demeanor endeared him to House members and staff, who continuously relied on him for guidance and advice; and

 

WHEREAS, on December 31, 2019, the House of Representatives bid a fond farewell to one of its most iconic and respected figures, a man whose legacy will forever be remembered; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, that this body hereby expresses its deepest appreciation and warmest aloha to JAMES T. FUNAKI, ESQ. for his outstanding career of service to the House of Representatives and the State of Hawaii and extends to him its best wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

James T. Funaki, Esq.; Retirement

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