WHEREAS, the intent of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended, is to return native Hawaiians with fifty per cent blood quantum to the land from which native Hawaiians had been alienated; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act established a land trust of over two hundred nine thousand acres for that purpose; and

WHEREAS, the management and daily operations of the Hawaiian homes program is administered by the State of Hawaii through its Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and its nine-member commission; and

WHEREAS, over seven thousand residential leases have been awarded during the eighty year history of the program; and

WHEREAS, there are currently over thirty thousand native Hawaiians on the applicants list awaiting a homeland lease award; and

WHEREAS, there have been instances where lessees have sold the lease to their Hawaiian homeland to another native Hawaiian for profit; and

WHEREAS, some of those native Hawaiians who have benefited from the purchase of a homeland lease in these transactions have circumvented the wait list process; and

WHEREAS, in some cases, lessees who have sold their leases have reapplied for a homeland lease award; and

WHEREAS, these actions are increasing and are causing dissension in the native Hawaiian homestead community and among those on the wait list; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii has indicated an interest in the legality of these transactions; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was also designed to allow native Hawaiians to make decisions impacting conditions in the Hawaiian homestead community; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is requested to assist the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations to implement a series of meetings statewide with beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to fully discuss and remedy the sale and transfer of leases by Hawaiian homeland lessees for profit; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is requested to provide technical assistance and funding to the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations in this effort; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations is requested to work with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Hui Kako’o ‘Aina Ho’opulapula in planning and implementing these meetings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, upon completion of these meetings, the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations is requested to work with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to fashion and implement administrative rules that will ensure the intent of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission who in turn is requested to transmit copies to other interested parties.

Report Title:

Hawaiian Homes Commission Act; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.