Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 2, 1 February 1991 — Full Hawaiian agenda for legislature [ARTICLE]

Full Hawaiian agenda for legislature

By Ken Ige Assistant Editor Hawai'i's 1991 legislative session started on a somber note Jan. 16, just hours before allied air fighters and bombers launched a surprise attack against Iraq and Iraqi forces in Kuwait. The start of the "war in the gulf" has loomed foremost in the minds of legislators and public since opening day, but both houses are back at work. This new legislative session will include a full menu of Hawaiian issues, according to the governor and key lawmakers.

Governor John Waihee, in his State of the State Address last month, said he has submitted his proposal to the legislature to resolve controversies surrounding the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust and the Public Land Trust. Waihee said he wants a task force to "immediately convene . . . to accelerate the process of clearing title and compensating the (Hawaiian Homes) trust for illegal or improper withdrawals, transfers, takings or uses." He said the task force will include the attorney general, representatives of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Office of State Planning and Hawaiian Home Lands.

He added that This is not a task force to study the issue," but to "resolve these claims . . . to make the trust both whole and stronger." The governor also proposed a Board of Individual Claims Resolution, a neutral body before whieh homestead beneficiaries could bring past claims, "without the costs and time delays associated with the judicial process." The issues of self-determination and governance, as they affect the two trusts, must now be confronted, said Waihee. "Our vision of making things right means making things whole," said Waihee. "The 21st

century must have a plaee for Hawaiians and NonHawaiians alike." In Hawai'i's 16th legislature, committees handling Hawaiian concerns will be headed by Sen. Mike Crozier and Rep. David Hagino. In the 25-member Senate, Crozier (D) will again head the Housing and Hawaiian Programs committee. Lehua Fernandes Salling (D) will be vice chairwoman.

Other committee members are democrats James Aki, Mike McCartney, Mary-Jane McMurdo, Dennis Nakasato and republican Rick Reed. In the 51-member House of Representatives, Hawaiian affairs will be coupled with water and land use instead of eeonomie development. Hagino (D) will chair the new Water, Land Use and Hawaiian Affairs committee. Newcomer Jackie Young (D), representing Lanikai-Keolu-Waimanalo, will be the committee's vice chairwoman. Rep. David Ige (D), who was ehainnan of last session's Eeonomie Development and Hawaiian Affairs committee, is a member of the new committee. Other committee members are democrats Emilio Aleon, Robert Bunda, Kenneth Hiraki, David Morihara, Alex Santiago, David Stegmaier, Dwight Yoshimura and republican Cynthia Thielen.

In making their agendas for the session, these committees often look to OHA concerning Hawaiian issues. The OHA trustees Legislative Review Committee will soon finalize specific issues it wishes the legislature to consider. Rep. Hagino said the governor's address covered the important Hawaiian issues fairly well. "It will be interesting to see what the rest of the community thinks," said Hagino.

"This is an important step forward. These are longstanding problems," he said. He hopes those involved will be able to find "a compromise, something acceptable." Sen. Crozier said he expects "a full plate" of Hawaiian issues this session.

Crozier said one of the main issues, besides the governor's proposal resolving the land trust controversies, will eoneem the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Ken Toguchi, DHHL public information specialist, said the department will continue to try to get help in financing its goal of awarding 14,000 units by the year 2000, thus satisfying the current waiting list. Early last month the department made its continued page 6

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budget pitch before the House Finance committee. Toguchi said the department wants $18.5 miilion to prepare 358 Hawaiian Home Lands lots for home construction. Another issue this session, according to Crozier, is the Hui Imi Task Force on Hawaiian Services.

The task force has submitted to the legislature its final report and recommendations concerning the improvement and expansion of services for Hawaiians. The report is an exhaustive study and includes a list of recommendations based on hour-long interviews with 408 Hawaiians and 232 service providers (see Hui Imi story in this issue). In a recent Honolulu Star-Bulletin article, Crozier said he is working toward financial independence for OHA by 1993.

Currently, money given to OHA from what the state earns off ceded lands ean only be used to help those with 50 percent or more Hawaiian blood. In the article, Crozier said money for less-than-half Hawaiians ean also be obtained from the ceded lands. Crozier also credited Mililani Trask and her group Ka Lahui for coming up with the idea for a Hawaiians-only constitutional convention in 1993. With mueh of the Hawaiian community talking about sovereignty and self-determination, Crozier said a government entity will be needed to handle ceded lands and Hawaiian Home Lands. He said a convention would let Hawaiians decide what type of government they would want and who their Hawaiian representatives would be.

The article included OHA trustee chairman Moses Keale's response to the two goals. Keale said financial independence and a constitutional convention are "real good news." Jalna Keala, OHA Government Affairs officer, said another of many items on this session's agenda will be the West O'ahu One-Stop Center. The West O'ahu Social and Employment Incubator Project Board has recommended its own continuation to finalize several aspects concerning the center.

The multi-service center will offer West O ahu residents help in areas such as: career and employment; child abuse and neglect; housing; child care; teen pregnancy; general health services; family violence; and substance abuse. A pilot project of the center is scheduled to open in late 1992 or early 1993. Although a site for the pilot project is yet to be determined, the project board has recommended the center be ultimately located at the proposed Kapolei Civic Center.