Department of the Attorney General

The Hawaii Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation was originally created by law in 1911.  The commission is placed within the State Department of the Attorney General and, pursuant to section 26-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is advisory to the Attorney General and to the Legislature on matters relating to the promotion of uniform legislation.  Pursuant to sections 3-1 and 26-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Commission consists of five members, who are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for staggered terms of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.  Pursuant to section 3-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the members of the Commission “represent the State in conventions of like commissioners of the several states and territories for the consideration and recommendations of uniform laws to be submitted to the several state and territorial legislatures for action.”

The convention of like commissioners is the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, also referred to as the “Uniform Law Commission” or “ULC,” which has had every state and territory participating in its meetings since 1912.

The ULC is a unique institution created to consider state law and to determine in which areas of the law uniformity is important.  The work of the ULC has been a valuable addition over time to the improvement of state law in a great many subject areas.  Included in that work have been acts such as the Uniform Commercial Code, the Uniform Partnership Act, the Uniform Limited Partnership Act, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, the Uniform Probate Code, and the Model State Administrative Procedure Act, acts that have been adopted uniformly by nearly all the states or that have been heavily utilized by most state legislatures.  Even with acts that have not been uniformly adopted, the texts consistently contribute to the improvement of the law and have served as valuable references for the legislatures in their effort to improve the quality of state law.

The members of the Hawaii Commission are:

(1) Lani Liu Ewart;
(2) Peter Hamasaki;
(3) Elizabeth Kent;
(4) Blake Oshiro; and
(5) Michael Tanoue

Former commissioners Robert S. Toyofuku and Ken Takayama continue to actively participate in ULC activities as ULC Life Members.  Upon recommendation of the ULC Executive Committee and by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the commissioners present at an annual meeting, they were elected as ULC Life Members with the privilege to participate in ULC activities.  Deputy Attorney General Jill T. Nagamine of the Legislative Division has been assigned by the Attorney General to provide staff support for the commissioners and is recognized as an Associate Member of the ULC.

Meeting Notices and Agendas and Materials

Meeting Minutes

Reports to the Legislature