Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 6, 1 June 1999 — 1999 legislative report [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

1999 legislative report

ĪHE 1999 State Legislature ended amid a flurry of ehaohe activity and angry protests over the Bronster eonfirmation. But an analysis of the legislature's activities reveals that very little was accomplished. Hawahans fared poorly this session: • SB 456, the Tuition Waiver Bill, was shelved in the waning hours of the session. But Wai'anae Senator Colleen Hanabusa has vowed to raise this issue again during the next session; • HB 1 146 and SB 457, two bills aimed at exempting Hawahans applying for enhtlements from the exorbitant costs for purchasing vital records, were killed due to heavy lobbying by Alvin Nonaka of the Dept. of Health; • HB235, whieh would have ahowed Hawaiian Homesteaders to elect DHHL

Commissioners, was held due to fears raised by the Rice vj. Cayetano case; • SB 455, a bill to provide for Cultural Impact Statements protecting native rights reaffirmed in the PASH decision, was deferred; • SB 452 and SB460, providing funds for housing infrastructure for Maunalaha and Kalapana Hawahans, were both deferred: Kalapana fanhlies have waited six

years for the state to provide funds to complete their subdivisions. Maunalaha famihes have waited more than 20 years for their funds. • Ah bihs introduced to put OHA on decision-making state boards, including the BLNR, the Tourism Authority, and the Land Use Commission, were kihed. This means that OHA wih have to eontinue to sue the state to have its perspec-

tives addressed by these bodies; • HB 696, a measure to add the definition of 'ceded lands' to agriculture, agribusiness and public lands measures and requiring that OHA be a signatory to all ceded lands dispositions, was not even heard. Hawaiians weren't the only losers this year. Public employees lost out as well. Although HB1038

appropriated $165 mhlion dollars for the UPW and HGEA contracts passed, the legislators put a freeze on public employee raises for two years by also passing SB1518. This measure also allows the state and county governments to reduce their contributions to the Employee Retirement System. In short, two public worker unions got the pay raises promised - but they

are paying for it with their own retirement funds and will not get COLA increases for the next two years. SB 1635 was passed out by the legislature. This measure was supposed to be the mechanism for the ceded land settlement. However, there was no settlement, so the legislature created its own process for a settlement. Whether the state administration and OHA whl go along remains to be seen. As a final pathetic note, the majority of the senators left the session gloating over the fact that they had gotten Margery and Earl out. But none of them cared about the fact that they had no time to fill the vacancies or confirm replacements. This means that Hawai'i, a state in legal and financial turmoh, wih have to survive the next nine months without a confirmed Attorney General or a Director of Finance. We all lose out! Pohō! For information on the ceded lands settlement and more on Rice v.s". Cayetano tune in to the First Friday Show. ■

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