Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 6, 1 June 2002 — OHA Board is productive, trustees working together for beneficiaries [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Board is productive, trustees working together for beneficiaries

Aloha mai kākou e nā 'ōiwi Hawai'i, For the last two months my eolumn has focused on aspects of the Arakaki et al v. Cayetano et al litigation, filed in March, The 16 plaintiffs, Arakaki, Arakaki, Bugarin, Burgess, Carroll, Chapman, Clarke, Garcia, Grantham, Kravet, Kuroiwa, Nichols, Scaff, Teshima and Twigg-Smith, seek to have the Court find "unconstitutional," the provisions of the State of Hawai'i Constitution that established OHA, Chapter 10, HRS, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, and further; to declare that lands, investments, property, and assets held by OHA and DHHL be transferred to the state "entrusted under the care and control of the Governor" consequently extinguishing OHA and DHHL as entities that serve native Hawaiian and Hawaiian beneficiaries, The legal battle presses on June 10 when Judge Oki-Mollway hears OHA's motion for judicial notice of federal and state statutes that recognize the unique political status of Native Hawaiians, and July 24, when Oki-Mollway hears Plaintiffs'

Motion for Preliminary īnjunction, īn this 18th of 48 articles, eontrasting these Plaintiffs' actions to diminish benefit to native Hawaiian and Hawaiians, OHA trustees, since reorganizing in February, acted on the: signing of the OHA/DLNR written agreement worth $1,35 million for Kīkala-Keōkea; disbursing $600,000 for renovation of Kawānanakoa Gym in Keaukaha; approving $10,000 to pursue an appeal of the Commission on Water Resources Management Decision and Order in the (Moloka'i) Kukui, īne, Contested Case Hearing; appointing OHA representatives to the board of Quality Homes of the Pacific LLC, candidates to Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund (NHRLF) Advisory Board, chairperson and members for OHA's Native Hawaiian Heahh Task Force, members to OHA's Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council; increasing the NHRLF program loan ceiling from $75,000 to $250,000 with corresponding tiered interest rates; approving Ke Kukui Mālamalama 2002 honorees; taking positions to support/oppose 2001 State legislation, (including

support for historic preservation and cave protection, task force to study hānai as adoption, Program/Financial Audit of DLNR, State and Federal reauthorization of the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Management Plan, U.S. clearance of UXO on Kaho'olawe, DLNR prioritization of oeean and coastal waters, calling for more transitional housing and social welfare facilities on Ovahu, calling for an audit of state executive departments and the use of ceded lands, and passage of OHA measures to award grants and Trustee participation in retirement benefits as other elected officials; hiring Sherry Broder, attorney-at-law, as lead attorney for OHA in the case of Arakaki et al v Cayetano et al, Civil No. 02-000139, SOM-KSC appropriating an amount not to exceed $300,000 for Phase ī of litigation in the matter; adopting the first year action plan and completing OHA's multi-year Strategic Plan document; appropriating $305,000 per year for five years to the University of Hawai'i Center for Hawaiian Studies beginning July 1; initiating OHA's Hawaiian

Entrepreneurial Loan Program (HELP) to provide up to $1.5 million in low interest loans to Native Hawaiian owned businesses suffering from September 1 1 ; appropriating $110,250 for the purpose of funding efforts of Kanu o ka 'Āina to measure impact of "native designed and controlled education that is culturally driven, family oriented and community-based on native student performance" for 12 Native Hawaiian Public Charter Schools with an accompanying resolution directed to the DOE; authorizing OHA to seek an amendment to Chapter 10 to un-eap the Administrator's salary; authorizing expenditure of $150,000 to provide Hawai'i Technology īnstitute scholarships benefiting Native Hawaiians; acting on the Native Hawaiian Registry; updating Hālawa Luluku īnterpretive Development Project; filing suit simultaneously against NASA and the UH īnstitute for Astronomy to require an EĪS for the W.M, Keek Observatory Outriggers project on Mauna Kea, Aloha a hui hou, ■

JK9 MĒ

Haunani Apoliona, MSW 7rusfee, At-large