[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            KING KAMEHAMEHA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, today, in my home State of Hawaii, we are 
celebrating King Kamehameha Day to honor the legacy of King Kamehameha 
I, who established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.
  King Kamehameha knew that for a nation to be vibrant, its citizens 
must feel safe and secure. He proclaimed the Kanawai Mamalahoe, the Law 
of the Splintered Paddle, as the law of the land. This law, still 
enshrined in the Hawaii State Constitution today, protects the 
unalienable rights of all men and women to be safe and secure in their 
home.
  Kamehameha also knew that, to ensure the health, safety, and welfare 
of his people, it was imperative to create economic opportunities. He 
invested resources to maintain viable fish ponds and taro patches, 
protect freshwater streams, fertile soils, and forestlands; he built 
schools and trained an entire new generation of leaders.
  As we observe Kamehameha Day, it is a true day of aloha for the 
people of Hawaii. Those who are visiting the Capitol this week may have 
seen the many fragrant and beautiful flower leis draped on the statue 
of King Kamehameha in Emancipation Hall.
  All this week, in Hawaii, across the State, there will be further 
lei-draping ceremonies taking place to pay homage to the legacy of 
Hawaii's first King.
  As legislators, we are called upon to embody the servant leadership 
and the humility of leaders like King Kamehameha I.

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