[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 69 (Wednesday, May 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5199-H5201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1345
  AUTHORIZING USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR KING KAMEHAMEHA CELEBRATION

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 80) authorizing 
the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event 
to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 80

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR EVENT TO CELEBRATE 
                   BIRTHDAY OF KING KAMEHAMEHA.

       (a) Authorization.--Emancipation Hall in the Capitol 
     Visitor Center is authorized to be used for an event on June 
     7, 2009, to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.
       (b) Preparations.--Physical preparations for the conduct of 
     the ceremony described in subsection (a) shall be carried out 
     in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed by 
     the Architect of the Capitol.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel 
E. Lungren) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous matter on the concurrent 
resolution now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall 
in the Capitol Visitor Center for the birthday celebration of King 
Kamehameha.
  King Kamehameha is credited with unifying all the islands of Hawaii 
into the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. During his rule, he established 
trade with other countries, promoted agriculture, and reigned in peace 
after the unification until his death in 1819.
  In honor of his lasting legacy to the people of Hawaii, every year he 
is remembered in a statewide celebration for his accomplishments as 
King. The celebration will be on a Sunday so it won't disrupt the use 
of the CVC or tours of the Capitol.
  I urge Members to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this resolution, which does 
authorize the use of the Capitol Visitor Center for the purpose of 
celebrating the birthday of King Kamehameha.
  The ceremony, which will take place in Emancipation Hall in close 
proximity to his famed statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection, 
appropriately honors the birth of the legendary warrior. In addition to 
uniting and protecting the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha 
established the principal Hawaiian law pertaining to the peaceful 
treatment of civilians during wartime, which today serves as a 
universal model for human rights.
  I thank Chairman Brady for taking up this resolution, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in support.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii, the sponsor of the resolution, Ms. Mazie 
Hirono. 
  Ms. HIRONO. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Aloha. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 80, which 
would authorize the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor 
Center for the 40th Annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony. And, of 
course, I encourage and invite all my colleagues to join us in this 
ceremony.
  I would like to thank Chairman Brady for his leadership and for 
allowing this bill to be brought forward in an expeditious manner. I 
would also like to thank the cosponsors of this bill, my fellow Pacific 
Island delegation members: Congressman Abercrombie, Congressman 
Faleomavaega, Congresswoman Bordallo, and Congressman Sablan, for their 
support.
  The Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony has been hosted by the Hawaii 
congressional delegation and the Hawaii State Society of Washington, 
D.C. since 1969. The ceremony has been held on or about June 11 to 
coincide with the celebration of Kamehameha Day, a State holiday in 
Hawaii. This year the event in D.C. will be held on Sunday, June 7.
  While the Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony has been held for 
decades, with the Kamehameha statue being moved to Emancipation Hall, a 
concurrent resolution must be passed to authorize the use of this space 
for this year's ceremony.
  Why do we celebrate and acknowledge King Kamehameha I? He was the 
first monarch to unify the Hawaii Islands and was the living embodiment 
of a leader. Born in 1782, Kamehameha I was daring, visionary, strong, 
and courageous, not just the kind of courage you find on the field of 
battle but the courage to forgive others for the greater good of all.
  As a young man on the Island of Hawaii, Kamehameha participated in a 
raid and surprised two local fishermen who then attacked him with a 
paddle, leaving him for dead. These same fishermen were presented to 
Kamehameha for judgment for this act 12 years later as Kamehameha was 
then a young chief. He could have sent them to their deaths with the 
slightest utterance, but he did not. Instead, he blamed himself for 
attacking innocent people and, astonishingly, gave the fishermen gifts 
of land and set them free.
  History records this act as the basis for the Law of the Splintered 
Paddle, a law which provided for the safety of noncombatants in 
wartime. It is a law that undoubtedly saved many lives during 
Kamehameha's later unification of all of the Hawaiian Islands. While 
this may have seemed like a simple gesture of kindness, this act took 
real courage and vision.
  As King of all Hawaii, Kamehameha appointed Governors for each 
island, made laws for the protection of all his people, planted taro, 
built houses and irrigation ditches, restored important cultural sites, 
encouraged industries like farming and fishing, managed the island's 
natural resources, and entered into trading agreements with other 
nations. The flag design he ordered for his kingdom later became the 
Seal of the State of Hawaii. He would rule until 1819.
  I would like to close by thanking the staff of the Committee on House 
Administration, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, and the 
Office of the Sergeant At Arms, who have been real partners in making 
this annual event possible for these many decades.
  Mahalo nui loa.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Brady, thank you for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, Representative Hirono has given an excellent history of 
Kamehameha and the reasoning behind the

[[Page H5200]]

celebration of his birthday as a State holiday in Hawaii. For the 
benefit of the Members and those who may not be familiar with the 
question of the statue itself and what it represents in the broader 
context, for those who may not be familiar with it, I would like to 
perhaps give a little bit of perspective, a little history on it.
  When people come from all over the world, not just the country 
itself, the Nation itself, to the Capitol, when they tour the Capitol, 
the most open capitol of any in the world, perhaps in the history of 
the world, we take pride, do we not, in the fact that this Capitol is 
open and available and accessible to all people, and we take some 
degree of pride, and rightfully so, that we are able to exhibit some of 
the history of this Nation for all to see and that each State has the 
opportunity to present for consideration of all of us two statues.
  One, of course, for us is Father Damien, who has just been named as a 
saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He came from Belgium to the United 
States to then, of course, the territory of Hawaii and ministered to 
those who had Hansen's disease, leprosy, on the Island of Molokai on 
the peninsula of Kalaupapa. His ministrations to those who had been 
abandoned, those who literally had been exiled to Kalaupapa resulted in 
the consideration by the Roman Catholic Church of miracles having been 
taken place in his name as a result of his dedication.
  The other statue representative of what we feel Hawaii is all about, 
of course, is Kamehameha. He's a legendary figure. The things that 
Representative Hirono cited, of course, are part of history. But when 
we use the word ``legendary'' to describe someone, it genuinely fits 
Kamehameha the Great.
  In his youth as part of this legendary history, he was known as a 
courageous warrior. He was said to have overturned the Naha Stone in 
Hilo, Hawaii, which indicated his almost superhuman strength and 
foreshadowed his inevitable conquest of all of Hawaii. I suppose it is 
the equivalent or a parallel could be drawn to the seizure of the 
Excalibur sword from the ground by the legendary King Arthur. This is 
the stature of Kamehameha. He did, in fact, unify the islands. And when 
he passed away in 1819, the phrase that was used with his passing is 
that ``only the stars know his final resting place.'' So the legend 
became even more of a tale to be told not only throughout the islands 
but throughout the world.
  So when people see that statue, when they observe that statue, 
they're somewhat shocked. It's monumental. I recall very, very clearly 
that in the rather obscure corner in Statuary Hall where Kamehameha 
originally resided here in the Capitol, it was somewhat difficult to 
find. People were not quite sure why it was there. It was said that 
because of the great weight of the statue itself it had to go there in 
order to be supported by the flooring of the Capitol. So in that 
position, Mr. Speaker, the really triumphant power and grace of the 
statue was not necessarily fully available to those who came to 
Statuary Hall. As a result, the Architect of the Capitol said to me, 
when we were first discussing the question of the visitor center and 
what is now Emancipation Hall, that he wanted very much to have the 
statue of Kamehameha in a very prominent position when the new visitor 
center was opened. He was certain that it would occupy an enormous 
presence there. It does that today. And we are very, very grateful for 
the opportunity for all to come and to view it.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 5 
minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
House Concurrent Resolution 80, authorizing the use of Emancipation 
Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the 
birthday of King Kamehameha the Great.
  First, I want to thank the chairman of the House Committee on House 
Administration, my colleague Mr. Brady, for managing this important 
legislation, and I thank also my colleague and dear friend from the 
other side of the aisle from California for his support of the bill. I 
also want to commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from Hawaii, 
Congresswoman Hirono, for her leadership as the author of this proposed 
legislation and, of course, my colleague Mr. Abercrombie for his 
support as well.
  Mr. Speaker, the Kamehameha Lei Draping Ceremony in Statuary Hall of 
the U.S. Capitol has been hosted by the Hawaii congressional delegation 
and Hawaii State Society of Washington, D.C. since 1969. For almost 40 
years now we have conducted this ceremony each year on or about the 
second week of June to coincide with the celebration of King Kamehameha 
Day in the State of Hawaii. We do this every year.
  Mr. Speaker, the King Kamehameha statue has now been moved to 
Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, and in doing so, 
section 103 of Public Law 110-437, it now requires the enactment of a 
congressional resolution to authorize this special ceremony to take 
place to honor King Kamehameha the Great.
  Mr. Speaker, as my good friend, the gentleman from Hawaii, had 
commented, I didn't appreciate where the King Kamehameha statue was 
placed in Statuary Hall. It was somewhat behind the bus, so to speak. 
And somewhat, in my own personal opinion, it was demeaning. Sometimes 
I've come to see in Statuary Hall a bunch of chairs surrounding the 
statue. And in my personal opinion, Mr. Speaker, I'm so happy now it's 
being moved to Emancipation Hall.
  Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was one of the greatest Hawaiian warrior 
kings known among the Polynesian people. After some 2,000 years of 
tremendous rivalries among the warring chiefs of the Hawaii Islands, it 
was prophesied among the Hawaiian priests that there will one day be 
born a high chief who will be a slayer of other high chiefs and he will 
unite all of the Hawaiian Islands under one rule.

                              {time}  1400

  King Kamehameha fulfilled that prophecy, after almost 10 years of 
fighting against other rival chiefs of the Hawaiian Islands. King 
Kamehameha was taught the ancient arts, the martial arts, known among 
the Hawaiian people as lua.
  He also learned military tactics and the art of warfare from his 
warrior chief, Kekuhaupio. He was able to lift the ancient Naha Stone, 
as referred to by my colleague, Mr. Abercrombie. This stone weighed 
4,500 pounds and is still in the City of Hilo, if anybody wants to see 
how big this stone was.
  Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was about 6 feet, 8 inches and weighed 
almost 300 pounds. So if you were a warrior, you better watch out if 
you see King Kamehameha coming at you.
  King Kamehameha was a true warrior king, because he would always be 
in the front line leading his warriors in combat. And he was ferocious 
in battle, and he had no fear for his life.
  One of his favorite sports to prove agility and combat readiness was 
the ability of a warrior to dodge spears thrown at you at the same 
time. King Kamehameha was able to do this with six spears thrown at him 
at the same time.
  See if you can do that, my good friend from California.
  He would grab two spears, parry the other two spears, and let the 
other two go by him. That's how you do it, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha unified the islands and established 
peace and stability. He was shrewd in building prosperity for his 
people by encouraging agricultural development and promoting commercial 
trade in Europe and even with the United States. While he was open to 
new ideas, he was cautious and circumspect in the old way.
  At the time King Kamehameha instituted, as noted by my good friend 
Congresswoman Hirono, the Law of the Splintered Paddle, or Mamalahoe, 
as among the Hawaiian people, which protected elderly men and women and 
children from any harm as they'd travel along the roadside.
  Mr. Speaker, the first King Kamehameha Day was proclaimed on June 11, 
1871, by his great grandson, King Kamehameha V. The proposed 
legislation recognizes the United States is built upon diversity, and 
we all share the same ideals of freedom and democracy and a commitment 
to justice for all

[[Page H5201]]

people. These ideals embody the legacy of King Kamehameha the Great.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Altmire). The time of the gentleman has 
expired.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. It is only fitting that we honor, not only honor 
the birth date of this great Hawaiian warrior king, but we continue to 
have the special ceremony of draping hundreds of flower leis on his 
statue, on the statute that now stands prominently in the Emancipation 
Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members 
to support H. Con. Res. 80, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to pass this 
resolution honoring King Kamehameha, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 80.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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