STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3405

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 515

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 515, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Hawaiian Homes Commission

G.M. No. 515

RANDY AWO, for a term to expire 06-30-2019,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Randy Awo for service on the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Randy Awo from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Pūnana Leo o Maui; Ku‘iwalu Consulting; Maui Mokupuni Council of the Hawaiian Homestead Association; Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteaders Association, Inc.; ‘Aina Ho‘opulapula o Waohuli; Waiehu Kou Phase 3 Association, Inc.; Ho‘omana Pono, LLC; Ho‘omanapono Political Action Committee; one member of the State of Hawaii House of Representatives; and thirty-five individuals.

Mr. Awo was born and raised on Hawaiian homestead land in Waimānalo. He then moved to Waiehu Kou, a Hawaiian homestead land on Maui. Being born and raised on Hawaiian homestead land his whole life, Mr. Awo was surrounded and influenced by Native Hawaiian beliefs and practices and has worked to conserve and preserve Native Hawaiian practices and natural resources. Mr. Awo's dedication to the conservation of natural resources is reflected in his twenty-six years of experience in the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, of which he ultimately became the Administrator. Of his twenty-six years of experience in the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, twenty-two years were spent dedicating his efforts in Maui. Mr. Awo's advocacy for Hawaii's natural resources was most poignantly demonstrated by his contentious stand against the SuperFerry and the negative impact the SuperFerry would have on the natural resources of Maui.

Mr. Awo is recognized in testimony for his efforts in forming community-to-government partnerships through collaboration and educational outreach such as collaborating with grassroots community organizations, state legislators, the University of Hawaii Law School, and the Hawaii State Judiciary, among others, to establish Hawaii's first environmental court. Your Committee believes that Mr. Awo's expertise in administration, first-hand experience living on Hawaiian homestead tracts, and close connection to the Native Hawaiian community qualify him to serve on the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

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MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair