A congressional bill to start the process of evaluating Lahaina for designation as a National Heritage Area was heard Thursday by the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Introduced by Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, H.R. 8219 aims to direct the National Park Service to study the suitability and feasibility of this designation for Lahaina, the historic town destroyed by fire last August, which had once been the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

The U.S. has 62 national heritage areas but none in Hawaii, though Kaena Point is now being studied for designation.