Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 5, 1 April 2008 — Settle the state's past-due revenue debt to OHA [ARTICLE]

Settle the state's past-due revenue debt to OHA

Among the many issues before the state Legislature this session is legislation that settles longstanding issues for Native Hawaiians. SB 2733 and HB 266 would resolve outstanding claims to past due revenue for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) from ceded lands. As of one of the five enumerated uses of the ceded land trust, all agree that the state has a legal obligation to Native Hawaiians as described in the Hawai'i Constitution, the Admission Act and various laws adopted by the state Legislature. How this obligation should be carried out has remained a complex and unresolved issue. The state of Hawai'i has been

struggling with ceded land issues since I was frrst elected to the state Legislature more than three decades ago. Back then, the Legislature approved what would eventually heeome Act 273 quantifying OHA's pro rata share of revenue from the Puhlie Land Trust at 20 percent. This act passed almost 30 years ago. Now, the state of Hawai'i is moving toward paying the debt it has incurred since then. This settlement on backpayment took more than four years of intense negotiation and medication between the state attorney general and OHA. It is a real opportunity to close an unsettled chapter and enahle all those involved to make progress on other fronts. I wholeheartedly support a thorough andj udicious consideration of SB 2733 and HB 266. Giving this issue the serious time and attention it deserves is a large step toward reconciling Hawai'i's past. Mahalo

for your consideration. U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie Washington, D.C.