Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 7, 1 July 1997 — Hawaiian youth go to the legislature [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian youth go to the legislature

continued from page 1 went through the process of becoming a law. The session is now in order On Sunday, June 15, the young delegates arrived at the dorms of the University of Hawai'i, some strangers, some already friends, but all Hawaiian. It was a day of orientation and preparation for the challenging week ahead. Eaeh time the sun rose above the horizon, the 'ōpio were already awake eating breakfast and getting ready for the day's events. Dressed in formal chamber wear, they started mornings off in joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate in , the State Capitol's House of Chambers with a i kūpuna presentation of a

bit of Hawaiian culture. During one moming session, guest state offieial Representative Sam Aiona spoke to the i young delegates saying 1 that Hawaiians need to leam the system if they i want to regain control. He said that the missionaries were smart: When

they first eame to Hawai'i, they leamed the Hawaii ian system of govemment, and they used it against 1 the Hawaiian people to gain control. Now, Hawaii ians must do the same, and 'Aha 'Ōpio o OHA brings 'ōpio one step closer to learning the system, using it to their advantage. The rest of the morning and aftemoon consisted of the legislation process. Eaeh 'ōpio eame up with at least one bill to be submitted into legislahon. The bills were presented to both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Testimony was heard in eaeh of the five committees: Eeonomie Development, Education, Hawaiian Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Land and Natural Resources. One by one the bills were read, debated and decided by eaeh committee; then the committees of both the Senate and House eame - together to present their decisions. "My favorite part of the program was the debates because we could defend ourselves and our bills," said Haulani DeMello of Konawaena High School, elected 'Aha 'Ōpio o OHA's 1997 Konohiki (attomey to the lieutenant govemor). Two days from the time the bills were introduced, it was time for resolutions, time to see if their bills would be passed. A total of 62 bills were submitted, ranging from Hawaiian issues such as native Hawaiians being exempt from paying property tax to the expansion of Kaua'i highways. The delegates debated and passed more than 40 percent of them. On Friday, the program closed with a Hawaiian

ceremony. It was a different atmosphere from the anxiety of before when they were Uke strangers to eaeh other. "It was like a reunion of family, and you understand more about what Hawaiian really is and that being Hawaiian is being part of a family, and that's good

because it's real. Sometimes it gets emotional, and vou share vour emo-

tions and your feelings with eaeh other and that's what a family does and that's what we did," said Kia'āina Hope Bunag.

The closing ceremony represented a sense of 'ohana. The class joined hands and sang "Sailing Away" led by the 1997 officers and their 'ukulele. Some cried, others smiled but all appeared happy to have been a part of 'Aha 'Opio o OHA. After the ceremony the delegates left the ehambers and climbed up the stairs to meet their family and friends, while the staff of 'Aha 'Opio o OHA waved goodbye, singing "He Hawai'i Au." A sense of sadness was now overwhelming. The program that brought them together was over, but the memories of that week would likely last a lifetime, memo-

ries of early mornings and long afternoons, memories of friendships and family, memories of what it means to be Hawaiian. . , Meeting Adjourned The bills that they passed are far from being shoved under a stack of papers to be forgotten. They will be shown next year to delegates in the Hawai'i State Legislature. The 'ōpio may eventually see a bill that they created at 'Aha 'Opio o OHA become an actual law in Hawai'i. They will see how their own voices ean make a difference.

"\ (ett I 4i((ae nei? Brandori Bunag

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| Youth legislators close the week-long session in a ceremony i at the capitol.