Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 8, 1 August 1997 — The hard climb of Hui ʻlmi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The hard climb of Hui ʻlmi

Aloha nui kākou, e nā mamo o Hawai'i nei. My sixth article in the series of 46 highlights the success of HUI 'IMI, the puhlieprivate partnership established to improve coordination of services to Hawaiians. On July 7, Governor Cayetano signed HB 1104, HD1 into law as Act 376, reauthorizing the former HUI 'IMI Task Force as the HUI

'IMI Advisory Coimcil, to "sunset" June 30, 2004. Ironically in 1995, Governor Cayetano vetoed similar legislation to reauthorize HUI 'IMI despite full support of the Legislature in regular session and in speeial session. In 1996, legislation to reauthorize HUI 'IMI onee again won full support in the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, House Committee on Hawaiian

/\rrairs ana m tne t>enate — Hawaiian Affairs Committee but was held by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, though no appropriation was requested. In 1989, the Hawai'i Legislature adopted SCR 106, SD, establishing this Task Force for Hawaiian Services, named HUI 'IMI to examine provision of services to Hawaiians and to give findings and recommendations concerning coordination of all public and private services available to Hawaiians in the areas of education, eeonomie development, housing, employment, medical/health, legal, cultural and social services. As directed by SCR 106, SD1, the HUI 'IMI Task Force produced a two-vol-ume report in 1991 titled, HUI 'IMI TASK FORCE FOR HAWAIIAN SERVICES, VoIume I and Volume II. This report was the product of unique and extraordinary levels of coordination among task force member organizations that included the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Education, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, House of

Representatives standing committee and Senate standing committee with primary jurisdiction over Hawaiian Affairs, Alu Like, Ine., Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, E Ola Mau, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, Lunalilo Home, Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Papa Ola Lokahi, and Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center. The HUI 'IMI Task Force Report, distributed to all legislators in 1991, was a result of extensive sampling, interviews, group and community meetings that involved approximately 1,000 service providers and service recipients throughout the State. The legislative authorization of the HUI 'IMI Task Force ended in 1991 with the submittal of the HUI 'IMI Report to the Legislature. However, member groups of the Task Force continued to work

mlormally, monitonng the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report. The 1992 Legislature adopted HCR 260, SR 138 and HR 270, recognizing and eommending the work of HUI 'IMI and urging imple- | mentation of its recomf mendations. Between 1993 | and 1994, HUI 'IMI mem- § ber organizations, with limited success, sought to incorporate the 39 report rprnmmpnHaHnn»; ir»fn

OHA Board of Trustee and division priorities. In 1995, member organizations of the HUI 'IMI re-initiated state legislation for formal reauthorization of the HUI 'IMI to continue work on implementing these 39 recommendations-14 identified as high priority. Of HUI 'IMI, the newly enacted legislation says, "The task force also articulated the community's wish for a multi-service community center for Native Hawaiians, whieh is now being implemented by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in coordination with other (Hawaiian) agencies in Kalama'ula, Moloka'i;" and further that work of the successor to the Task Force, the HUI 'IMI Advisory Council, "is and will eonhnue to be invaluable to eontinue full eommunieahon among public and private sectors on issues of eoneem to Hawaiians. Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to formally reauthorize the HUI 'IMI Task Force as the HUI 'IMI Advisory Council." Mahalo a nui, e nā lima hana pono o HUI 'IMl.

HU1 i*' pA7the*ffap e*tM4*AeA to 4t*f70Ve t49h o( *etv<eei to HwA<<AH4,

^AUHAH< Ap0t<0HA Trustee, At-Large