Bill Text: HI SCR205 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requesting That The "pledge To Our Keiki" Be Printed On The Reverse Side Of Each State Of Hawaii Plant And Animal Declaration Form.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-14 - Referred to EET/AEN. [SCR205 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-SCR205-Introduced.html

---

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	205
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting that the "Pledge to our Keiki" be printed on the reverse side of each state of hawaii plant and animal declaration form.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the "Pledge to Our Keiki" is a pledge developed by Kanu Hawaii that invites residents and visitors to give back during their stay in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the "Pledge to Our Keiki" recognizes the things that make Hawaii a special place, including a connection to the `āina, a culture of aloha, and local self-reliance; and

 

     WHEREAS, the "Pledge to Our Keiki" was created to share the message that Hawaii is more than just a place to visit--Hawaii is also an island home to many that must be treated with respect and reverence to ensure that the things that make it special are preserved for future generations; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's Strategic Plan, 2020-2025, establishes a goal to educate visitors about responsible travel; and

 

     WHEREAS, encouraging travelers to Hawaii to sign the "Pledge to Our Keiki" can help to foster responsible and respectful tourism; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Agriculture; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Transportation; and Hawaii Tourism Authority are requested to print a copy of the "Pledge to Our Keiki" on the reverse side of each State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form distributed pursuant to section 150A-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the "Pledge to Our Keiki" be provided in substantially the following form:

 

"PLEDGE TO OUR KEIKI

 

          From our elders, we have learned that we are part of the environment, not above it.  The life, lands, and water are more than just our surroundings, they are our family.

 

          From our children, we will learn that Hawaii is not inherited from our ancestors but borrowed from our future generations.

 

          So, when you are welcomed here, you become part of this ohana that is responsible for us and our island home too.  Just as we "na keiki o ka aina", the children of Hawaii, pledge to care for these islands, we ask that you make this pledge to us:

 

          For a rare and endangered place, where a destructive foreign species is introduced every day:  I will bring only what is invited and be mindful of where I explore.

 

          For an island community that defines wealth not by what is kept, but by what is shared:  I will give my respect and leave what is not mine to take.

 

          For an indigenous culture that has evolved with these islands, both unique and intertwined in their existence:  I will experience sacred places and practices with a bowed head and open heart.

 

          For this birthplace of aloha that typically welcomes more visitors than has residents:  I will live aloha, tread lightly amongst this beauty, and make it cleaner than I found it.

 

          For a Hawaiian people whose ancestors sailed here using only the stars to guide them in search of islands to sustain them:  I will learn from your legacy and support your ongoing voyage toward sustainability."; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any appropriate Hawaiian diacritical marks be added to the pledge; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a signature line be added directly below the pledge, on which travelers may sign their names to symbolize their commitment to the pledge; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to replace the Hawaii Tourism Authority survey that is currently printed on the back of each Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form with the "Pledge to Our Keiki"; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Transportation; and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DBEDT; HDOA; HDOT; HTA; Pledge to Our Keiki; State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form