STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2830

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 2733
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs, to
which was referred H.B. No. 2733, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS
     TRUST,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a Hawaiian Home
Lands Trust Individual Claims Compensation Commission
(Commission) to evaluate funding mechanisms to compensate native
Hawaiian beneficiaries who have successfully asserted claims
against the State under Chapter 674, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     The Attorney General testified in support of the intent of
the measure.  The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands offered
comments on the measure.  The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation,
the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, and the
attorney representing individual claimants who are currently in
litigation in state circuit and federal district courts over this
matter testified in opposition to the measure.

     Your Committee believes that individual claimants who put
their faith in the process established and subscribed to by the
State pursuant to the enactment of chapter 674, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, were unceremoniously denied resolution of, and
compensation for, their successful claims through the Attorney
General's retraction of participation in the resolution process

 
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and the subsequent veto of the extension of the review process by
the Governor last year.

     Your Committee believes that the claimants who successfully
engaged the claims review process should be compensated and that
the State should honor its commitment to "let the process run its
course."

     Your Committee has amended the measure by:

     (1)  Adding provisions which extend the Hawaiian Home Lands
          Trust Individual Claims Review Panel's authority until
          December 31, 2002; and

     (2)  Changing the unspecified effective date of the measure
          to July 1, 2010.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached
to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 2733, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 2733, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Water, Land, and
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair

 
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