STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1463

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1353

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1353, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT, 1920, AS AMENDED,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to increase opportunities for native Hawaiian beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended.

 

     More specifically, the measure:

 

     (1)  Authorizes the transfer of moneys from the Hawaiian home receipts fund into the native Hawaiian rehabilitation fund;

 

     (2)  Requires the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to consult with trust beneficiaries in developing homestead projects and commercial and multipurpose projects and in connection with certain loan conditions that may result in lower allowable loan amounts; and

 

     (3)  Establishes the Hawaiian home lands community development fund to be funded by a percentage of revenues from commercial development of Hawaiian home lands and to be expended for community and cultural programming in Hawaiian homestead communities.

 

     The Office of Hawaiian Affairs submitted comments in support of this measure.

 

     Your Committee recognizes that the state constitution requires thirty per cent of state receipts from sugarcane lands and water licenses to be deposited into the Native Hawaiian rehabilitation fund to improve the general welfare and conditions of native Hawaiians.  Because of the decline in sugar production, revenues available for the Native Hawaiian rehabilitation fund have correspondingly declined.  Your Committee finds that authorizing funds from the Hawaiian home receipts fund to be transferred into the Native Hawaiian rehabilitation fund will provide additional revenues to improve conditions for the beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.  Similarly, the Hawaiian Home lands community development fund established by this measure provides another source of revenue available to provide community and cultural programming to benefit Hawaiian homestead communities.

 

     Your Committee further finds that requiring the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to consult with trust beneficiaries on certain undertakings will not only encourage native Hawaiians to engage in the development of Hawaiian homestead communities, including the commercial development of Hawaiian home lands, but also will provide an opportunity for their voices and opinions to be heard on a variety of issues central to their well-being.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1353, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair