{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-testifies-her-lahaina-national-heritage-area-act", "Rep. Tokuda Testifies on Her Lahaina National Heritage Area Act", "2024-06-27", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=6&", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing on the Lahaina National Heritage Area Act \u2013 introduced by U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) \u2013 which would begin the process of evaluating the Maui town for designation as a National Heritage Area.\n\nThe Lahaina National Heritage Area Act would direct the National Park Service, in consultation with state and local partners, to study the suitability and feasibility of this designation for Lahaina. These areas are designated by Congress to complement state and local conservation efforts through recognition, federal funding, and technical assistance.\n\n\u201cLele, or Lahaina, as it has become known, has always been a place of immense historical and cultural importance, serving as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai\u02bbi and the birthplace and home to many ali\u02bbi. As we look to rebuild, it is about grounding this place in the history and heritage from which it came,\u201d said Rep. Tokuda during her testimony. \u201cDesignating Lahaina as a National Heritage Area would complement and sustain community-driven efforts being led by lineal descendants and local leaders to preserve Lele\u2019s rich history, tradition, and culture for future generations.\u201d\n\nHawai\u02bbi Governor Josh Green also submitted written testimony in support of the bill, along with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, and Ke\u02bbeaumoku Kapu of N\u0101 \u02bbAik\u0101ne o Maui Inc.\n\nCosponsors of the bill include Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01); House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands Ranking Member Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02); House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Ranking Member Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02); Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-MP-AL), Rep. Ed Case (D-HI-01), and Rep. Amata Radewagen (R-AS-AL).\n\nThere are 62 national heritage areas in the United States but none in Hawai\u02bbi. Ka\u02bbena Point is currently being studied for designation.\n\nThe bill will go through a House Natural Resources Committee markup before it can advance to the full House for consideration. Rep. Tokuda\u2019s testimony can be viewed and downloaded here. The text of the measure can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-testifies-her-lahaina-national-heritage-area-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.631722018122673, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}