STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1260-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.R. No. 149

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.R. No. 149 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING A REPORT FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION RELATING TO THE WAITING LISTS FOR HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS HOMESTEAD LEASES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission to submit to each legislator no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2015, a report on the following issues relating to the Hawaiian Home Lands homestead leases:

     (1)  The total number of applicants on the waiting list by island;

     (2)  The total number of designated successors of lessees of a homestead lease;

     (3)  The total number of lessees, who in the last ten years transferred their homestead leases to transferees and were reinstated as applicants to a waiting list;

     (4)  The total number of wait-listed applicants in the last 10 years who chose to not accept an award of a homestead lease;

     (5)  An explanation of the decision-making process used in retaining or reinstating applicants to a waiting list; and

     (6)  The specific reasons that an applicant is allowed to be reinstated to a waiting list after transferring a homestead lease to a transferee.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (Department) commented on this measure.

     Your Committee notes that the Department has testified that it is able to prepare and submit a report at any time for responses on:

     (1)  The total number of applicants on the waiting list by island;

     (2)  An explanation of the decision-making process used in retaining or reinstating applicants to a waiting list; and

     (3)  The specific reasons that an applicant is allowed to be reinstated to a waiting list after transferring a homestead lease to a transferee.

However, the Department testified that gathering data on the remaining items would require its staff to manually survey over 42,830 application files and 9,844 lessee files.  The Department also testified that it would be more feasible to complete a sample survey on the remaining items instead. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 149 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

FAYE P. HANOHANO, Chair