Mazie Hirono: “I rise in support of H.R. 8219, the Lahaina National Heritage Study Act. This bill requires the Secretary of the…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 8219, the Lahaina National Heritage Study Act. This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to study the potential for Lahaina to be designated as a national heritage area. The August 2023 wildfires brought to the forefront how special Lahaina is to Maui, to Hawaii, to our country, and, indeed, the world. So many people responded with their support of the recovery of the people who were impacted by this horrific wildfire. A national heritage area designation could bring important Federal resources to help to promote and manage the historic, national, and cultural resources that are unique to Lahaina. And I want to thank Senator Fischer for her partnership, and I thank my colleagues for joining me in passing this bill, along with her bill today, so that the President can sign them into law and the National Park Service can begin working with the partners--all of our partners-- in this effort. And just to listen to my colleague from Nebraska talk about all of the people that she worked with to get her bill onto this agenda tonight really shows the importance of this bill to her constituents. And, of course, to the people of Lahaina, to provide this designation is a start in reinforcing how important Lahaina is historically. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the past. So I recognize that a number of my colleagues also have public lands bills that they hoped would be included in an ``end of the year'' package.…”