Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 8, 1 August 2015 — OHA LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE BILLS AND VEHICLE BILLS [ARTICLE]

OHA LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE BILLS AND VEHICLE BILLS

House Bill 206, Relating to Hawaiian Plants STATUS: ACT 233 Native and Polynesianintroduced plants are an integral part of Hawai'i's unique cultural and ecological heritage, and their use in public spaces promotes cultural preservation, biodiversity, biosecurity, ecosystemmanagement and a Hawaiian sense of plaee. While the state procurement code was amended more than 15 years ago to require the use of native and Polynesian-introduced, i.e. Hawaiian, plants in publicly funded landscaping "wherever and whenever feasible," this language has failed to ensure the use of Hawaiian plants as originally intended. Accordingly, Act 233 replaces the "wherever and whenever feasible" language with a clear requirement that future public landscaping project areas contain a progressively increasing percentage of Hawaiian plants. House Bill 209, Relatingto the Budget of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs STATUS: ACT 170 Act 170, OHA's biennium budget bill, provides OHA with $6.2 million

in state general funds over the next two fiscal years, matched by more than $12.8 million in OHA trust funds. Over 70 percent of the state general funds and an equal amount of OHA trust funds will be used to support direct services, including heahh, housing, education, ineome, legal and social services for the Native Hawaiian community. While pooling resources in such a manner will significantly further the state's and OHA' s shared goal of improving the conditions of Native Hawaiians, the programs these funds support will ultimately strengthen all of Hawai'i's families and communities. Senate Bill 434, Relating to Agriculture STATUS: ACT 31 OHA P0SITI0N: SUPP0RT Act 31 updates the state planning act's agricultural objectives to include the perpetuation, promotion and growth of traditional Hawaiian farming methods and crops, as well as the growth and development of small-scale farms. Consistent with recommendations from the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development as well as Hawai'i's own Taro Security and Purity Task Force, the diversified agricultural portfolio promoted by this measure may be critical to maintaining our islands' food security in a changing climate.

Senate Bill 913, Relating to Public Safety STATUS: ACT 16 OHA P0SITI0N: SUPP0RT Act 16 takes a long-awaited first step toward addressing the unique needs of keiki with incarcerated parents, by authorizing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to collect intake data specific to prisoners who have children. A growing body of nahonal research demonstrates that children whose parents are sent to prison may suffer great trauma as a result; loeal data suggests that Native Hawaiian children may be disproportionately impacted by such an experience. Accordingly, Act 16 implements data-collection recommendations made by state task forces since 2006, as an essential first step in identifying and developing programs to address the needs of some of Hawai'i's most vulnerable keiki. 0THER SUGGESSFUL MEASURES 0F N0TE Act 230 (House Bill 393, Relatingto Hawaiian Fishponds) OHA P0SITI0N: SUPP0RT Act 230 promotes the restoration and rejuvenation of traditional loko i'a (fishponds), whieh eonhnue to be important cultural, educational

and agricultural resources for Native Hawaiians. Act 230 waives Department of Health water quality certification for loko i'a restoration, repair and operation activities permitted under the Statewide Programmatic General Permit process. Such a waiver will remove duplicative and burdensome water quality review by the state, providing relief to both agencies and community groups working to restore our important and uniquely Hawaiian fishpond sites. Act 171 (Senate Bill 1166, Relatingtothe Penal Code) OHA P0SITI0N: SUPP0RT Act 171 expressly provides that traditional Native Hawaiian methods of preparing and burying human remains shall not constitute the criminal "abuse" of a corpse. Such clarity will facilitate the continuation of traditional and sacred Native Hawaiian burial practices, whieh not only promote the continued connection and care between living and recently deceased family members, but are also less costly, require less of a burial footprint and are far less harmful to our environment than Western methods. ■

Below is a review some of the most notable 2015 measures impacting Native Hawaiians, and how they fared: