STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2519

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2839

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2839 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT, 1920, AS AMENDED,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the directive to amend the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended (Hawaiian Homes Commission Act), to accomplish the purposes of Act 195, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011 (Act 195).

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

 

     Your Committees find that Act 195 created a Native Hawaiian Roll Commission to prepare and maintain a roll of qualified Native Hawaiians in anticipation of the development of a reorganized Native Hawaiian entity and ultimately, federal recognition of Native Hawaiians.  Section 3 of Act 195 requires that the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act be amended, subject to the approval by Congress, if necessary, to accomplish the purposes of Act 195.  Some beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands find this directive suspicious because it does not clarify what amendments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act are required.  Your Committees conclude that this directive is confusing and altogether unnecessary and should be removed from Act 195.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2839, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2839, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary and Labor,

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair

 

____________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair