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HB517
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
517
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to restoring respect and dignity to america's only royal palace in the nation
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION
1.
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The legislature finds that Iolani
Palace is the only royal palace in the United States in which a reigning
monarch lived and is an icon of the State.
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Iolani Palace should be one of the State's most protected historical
sites due to its importance to the people of Hawaii, especially out of respect
for Hawaii's host culture and the Native Hawaiian people.
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The
legislature finds that the grounds of Iolani Palace should be revered as highly
as the Palace itself, and it is the duty of the State to protect one of
Hawaii's most historic and treasured landmarks.
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Thousands of tourists visit Iolani Palace annually, and many have noted
that among the hundreds of royal palaces worldwide, Iolani Palace is the only
royal palace that contains metered parking within its grounds.
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The continual desecration of the palace
grounds as parking for state employees and tourists is highly offensive and a
misuse of the historic landmark.
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The
purpose of this Act is to:
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(1)
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Prohibit parking on the grounds of Iolani
Palace;
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(2)
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Remove all blacktop, except for the
"Grand Entrance" from King Street; and
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(3)
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Replace all public parking areas and paid
parking with a promenade.
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SECTION
2.
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Chapter 184, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read
as follows:
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184-
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Iolani Palace; parking
prohibited.
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(a)
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No person shall park a motor vehicle on the
grounds of Iolani Palace, except for necessary deliveries and administrative
purposes.
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(b)
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For the purposes of this section:
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"Motor
vehicle" shall have the same meaning as in section 291C-1.
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"Park"
shall have the same meaning as in section 291C-1.
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SECTION
3.
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The department of accounting and
general services shall submit to the legislature, no later than twenty days
prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026, a cost analysis and
proposed legislation, if necessary, for removing the blacktop, parking area,
and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace.
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SECTION
4.
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The department of land and natural
resources shall submit to the legislature, no later than twenty days prior to
the convening of the regular session of 2026, a cost analysis and proposed
legislation, if necessary, for developing and maintaining a pedestrian area to
replace the existing blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to
Iolani Palace.
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SECTION
5.
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(a)
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Commencing no later than January 1, 2026, the department of accounting
and general services shall remove the blacktop, parking area, and paid public
parking for visitors and state government employees who do not work at Iolani
Palace.
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(b)
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Upon removal of the blacktop, parking area,
and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, the department of land and natural
resources shall develop and maintain a pedestrian area to replace the existing
blacktop, parking area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace, reflecting
as much as possible, the original palace grounds landscape as per photos from
the Hawai'i State Archives.
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The
pedestrian area shall be composed of grass or other historically appropriate
materials.
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SECTION
6.
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New statutory material is
underscored.
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SECTION 7.
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This Act shall take effect upon its approval;
provided that sections 2 and 5 shall take effect on January 1, 2026.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Iolani
Palace; Parking; Prohibited; DAGS; DLNR; Report
Description:
Prohibits
parking of motor vehicles on the grounds of Iolani Palace.
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Requires DAGS to remove the blacktop, parking
area, and paid parking adjacent to Iolani Palace.
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Requires DLNR to develop and maintain a
pedestrian area adjacent to Iolani Palace.
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Requires DAGS and DLNR to report on cost analysis.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.