HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS (HWN) The purview of this committee includes those programs relating to Hawaiian affairs, including but not limited to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaiian home lands, sovereignty, and burial councils.
Highlights HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS AND HOME OWNERSHIP The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended, was passed to dedicate land and provide native Hawaiians the stability, financial equity, and economic self-sufficiency that comes from land and home ownership. Since its enactment in 1921, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act has sought to increase native Hawaiian land and home ownership by making land title inalienable, providing adequate access to water for homestead holdings, and providing financial assistance for farming operations. This year, in order to address the thousands of beneficiaries remaining on the homestead waiting list, the Legislature passed HB2511, HD2, SD2, CD1, which appropriates $600,000,000 to develop units, purchase available lands, and provide funding for homesteaders to establish themselves in single-family homes, which is the most desirable preference among beneficiaries. This measure additionally requires the creation of a strategic report to ensure that this appropriation is both used efficiently and maximizes the number of beneficiaries assisted. In the 1898 Joint Resolution of Annexation, approximately 1,800,000 acres of crown, government, and public lands were transferred to the United States. Despite section 5(f) of the 1959 Admission Act stating that a portion of the proceeds from these lands would be used "for the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians," this constitutional trust obligation has not been fully upheld. In order to fulfill the State's duty to the native Hawaiian people, the Legislature has passed SB2021, SD1, HD2, CD1, which establishes $21,500,000 as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' interim annual share of the income and proceeds of the public land trust beginning in fiscal year 2022-2023. Furthermore, to account for the income the Office of Hawaiian Affairs should have received in past years, this measure appropriates $64,000,000 immediately for use on projects to benefit native Hawaiians as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs designates. Additionally, this measure establishes a working group to account for all ceded lands in the public land trust and determine the pro rata share of income and proceeds due from the public land trust annually to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Beyond securing rightfully owed funds from the public land trust, the Senate passed SR110, SD1, which requests the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law to establish a working group dedicated to returning Crown Lands to the native Hawaiian people. This working group would identify which Crown Land tax map keys should be prioritized for return first, and which entities would be responsible for managing those lands upon their return. While addressing the monetary issues facing those on the homestead waiting list, the Legislature also passed SB2623, SD2, HD2, CD1, which ensures a fair process for beneficiaries on the waiting list. This measure clarifies that any lessee who sells or transfers their interest in a
Hawaiian Affairs (HWN)
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