STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1116

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1201

       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 Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1201, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to streamline the process for preparing the Office of Hawaiian Affairs's budget.

     Specifically, this measure amends section 10-14.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), by:

     (1)  Allowing the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to choose the best method of providing beneficiaries in each county with opportunities to participate in the preparation of each of its biennial and supplemental budgets; and

     (2)  Clarifying the inference that face-to-face meetings do not need to be held in every county.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations.

     Under section 10-14.5, HRS, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is required to provide opportunities for beneficiaries in every county to participate in the preparation of each biennium and supplemental budget of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs indicated to your Committee that the existing language under section 10-14.5, HRS, creates an inference that face-to-face meetings are required to provide beneficiaries the opportunity to review the budget.  Furthermore, it was indicated that these meetings can pose a time constraint on the Board of Trustees who must set-up and meet with interested beneficiaries from each county within a relatively short period of time before the budget is due to the Legislature.  Your Committee finds that streamlining the process of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to prepare its budget will assist in more efficiently accomplishing its beneficiary consultation within a short time frame.

     However, your Committee expresses concerns about the current beneficiary consultation and participation process in the preparation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs budget.  Furthermore, your Committee expresses concerns that the alternative methods may discourage or may make it unfeasible for beneficiaries to participate in the preparation of the budget.  Thus, your Committee has requested that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs provide further information about beneficiary participation and its efforts in gathering beneficiary input.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date of this measure to July 1, 2020, to further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1201, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1201, 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, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair