STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1632

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 64

       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 Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 64 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS TO ESTABLISH A HAWAIIAN HOMESTEAD COMMUNITY SELF-GOVERNANCE TASK FORCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to promote increased self-governance by Hawaiian homestead community organizations over the affairs of their distinct Native Hawaiian communities on Hawaiian Home Lands by requesting the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to establish a Hawaiian homestead community self-governance task force.

     Specifically, this measure requests that the task force review the steps necessary for the State to delegate authorities relating to the administration of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended, to democratically-elected Hawaiian homestead community self-governance organizations, including criteria, methods or procedures, and requirements that will be necessary to develop, implement, and effectuate the delegation of administrative authority.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Hui Kako‘o ‘Aina Ho‘opulapula; and the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders' Association, Inc.

     Act 302, Session Laws of Hawaii 2001, was enacted to promote increased self-governance by Hawaiian homestead community organizations over the affairs of their distinct Native Hawaiian communities on Hawaiian Home Lands.  Although Act 302, now codified under section 201.6 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended, is currently pending consent by the United States Congress, Hawaiian homestead community organizations want to begin the process of implementing section 201.6.  Thus, your Committee finds that establishing a Hawaiian homestead community self-governance task force will assist in moving this process forward, and enable discussion, and the development and implementation of the steps that will be necessary to delegate authorities relating to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended, to Hawaiian homestead community self-governance organizations.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying throughout the measure that the purpose of the task force will be to develop and review the steps necessary to delegate authorities to Hawaiian homestead community self-governance organizations rather than merely review the steps.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 64, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 64, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair