Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 11, 1 November 1991 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE]

OHA Board Business

By Deborah Ward Editor

The OHA Board of Trustees held its Sept. 27 business meeting at the Kalaiakamanuhou Church hall in Kaunakakai, Moloka'i. Present were Chairman Clayton Hee, vicechairperson Rowena Akana, and trustees Abraham Aiona, Moanikeala Akaka, A. Frenchy DeSoto, Louis Hao, Kamaki Kanahele, Thomas Kaulukukui, Sr. and Moses Keale, Sr.

Administrator's Report The administrator reported on letters received by OHA concerning designation of administrative services officer Martin Wilson as OHA liaison/coordinator with the Commission on Persons with Disabilities; a letter of thanks from Hui Na'auao for OHA support in publicizing Hui Na'auao's search for an executive director; a letter from the Bank of Hawai'i concerning its underwritina of public service announcements for

the OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund; a site visit to the OHA Hawaiian Native Revolving Loan Fund by Darryl Summers, the Administration for Native Americans program specialist assigned to the grant; the Alu Like annual report; and plans for an October retreat of the Hawaiian Service Institutions and Agencies (HSIA).

Committee Reports Budget, Finance, Policy & Planning 1. Air travel by trustees. The board voted unanimously to revise its administrative and financial manual of guides to state that air travel by trustees shall be by first class unless otherwise requested by individual trustees. With this change the board policy now conforms with that of state legislators. It allows individual trustees to determine the class of travel they prefer. 2. Revision of OHA bylaws. The board voted to revise Article II to adopt the definition of "official business" used in its administrative and financial manual of guides and trustee operations guide, dated March 1991. Official business will refer to

activities authorized by the chairman, for members of the boad, or by the administrator for employees, that are relevant to work of OHA including attendance or participation by staff or trustees in a meeting, seminar or conference of any community, state, national or international organization on topics of direct eoneem to OHA, participation in a seminar or conference with OHA sponsorship, participation in training programs to maintain or improve skills in the performance of duties, and conducting studies and investigation of matters before the board, its committees or the office.

Under Article VIII, the board also adopted revised purviews for the committees on budget, finance, policy and planning, education and culture, health and human services, OHA relations and native Hawaiian status on entitlements. Purviews for the recently created standing committees on sovereignty and housing were added.

Under Article X, the board adopted a motion to abolish the requirement of the chairman and vicechairperson as ex-officio members of eaeh standing committee. This requirement had made quorum impossible at times if they did not attend committee meetings. The motion wascarried with six "yes" and three "no" roll eall votes: "Ayes": Aiona, DeSoto, Kanahele, Kaulukukui, Keale, and Hee. "Nays": Akaka, Akana, Hao.

3. Trustee admīnistrative aides. The board voted to add to its operations guide sections specifying the responsibilities, reporting requirements and contract coordination of trustee administrative aides. Aides serve the individual trustees and do not perform services normally provided by OHA employees. Trustee aides are responsible to answer inquiries and provide assistance to their trustee's constituents; complete and maintain files on board and committee measures; coordinate the trustee's

public relations; coordinate meetings, hearings and field trips (excluding travel arrangements); reviewing, briefing, revising or drafting correspondence and reports for the trustee; digesting reports and legislation referred to the committees on whieh a trustee sits; and reviewing reports, identifying issues, outlining alternatives and recommending course of action to the trustee.

Eeonomie Development & Land 1. Land Title Project. The board adopted a motion to refer to the committee on budget, finance, policy & planning a request for an appropriation to approve up to $65,000 from special funds to replace FY91-92 monies for the OHA Land Title Project, whieh is carried out for OHA by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. This amount was inadvertently dropped in line item budget documents received from the legislature, whieh had approved $265,000 for FY91-92.

Education & Culture 1. Ho' omana project. The board adopted a motion to provide an additional $2,500 to the Community Development Pacific Ho'omana Project for production and distribution of a video on Hawaiian values, taro farming and fishponds. This brings to a total of $5,000 the amount OHA is providing as support. Total project cost was $142,265 whieh was provided by public and private sponsors. 2. Dr. Hamihon I. McCubbin. The board also adopted unanimously a resolution to endorse Dr. Hamilton I. McCubbin for vice-president for academic affairs of the University of Hawai'i. No action items or reports were presented from the committees on health & human services, housing, legislative review, entitlements, OHA relations or sovereignty.

Announcements Board members previewed 30-second video public service announcements promoting the OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund whieh will be airing in October and November on KHNL Channel 13. Production of the spots whieh feature 15 Native Hawaiian businesses whieh received OHA business loans, was underwritten by the Bank of Hawai'i. Eeonomie development officer Linda Colburn reported that to date the revolving loan fund has received requests totaling $28 million for business loans. OHA received a total of $2.9 million for this demonstration project from the Administration for Native Americans. Reauthorization of ANA by Congress is pending.

Calendar The next meeting of the board was set for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 in the OHA conference room in Honolulu, 711 Kapiolani Blvd. , Suite 500. The November meeting of the board will take plaee at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22 in the OHA conference room.