STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2122

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2110
                                        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 S.B. No. 2110 entitled: 

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to extend the process by
which individual native Hawaiian claimants may seek compensation
from breaches of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust.

     Specifically, the measure:

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

     (2)  Establishes an Individual Hawaiian Home Lands Trust
          Claims Compensation Commission to develop funding
          options to compensate successful claimants.

     Testimony in support of the measure was received from the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaiian Political Action Council
of Hawaii, and three private citizens.  The Attorney General and
the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands supported the spirit of
finding a mechanism that would finally and conclusively resolve
these individual claims.


 
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     An 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 that 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
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 making a
technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purpose of clarity.

     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 S.B. No. 2110, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B.
No. 2110, 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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