STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1634

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.C.R. No. 59

S.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 59, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION TO APPROPRIATE ONE HUNDRED PER CENT OF LEASE REVENUES FROM COMMERCIAL PROPERTY USES TO HOMELAND LOT DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge the Hawaiian Homes Commission to appropriate one hundred per cent of lease revenues from commercial property uses to homeland lot development.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Aloha Aina Party and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Homelands.

Your Committee finds that more than two thousand native Hawaiian beneficiaries have died while on the Hawaiian homes waiting list for a homeland lease, and twenty-eight thousand beneficiaries currently remain on the list, half of which are over the age of sixty.  Additionally, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands recently estimated that to house all beneficiaries on the waitlist, cost projections range between $4,000,000,000 to $12,000,000,000 for infrastructure alone.  For a number of reasons, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has not pursued lot development on a trajectory that will extinguish their wait list, reduce the amount of lands for commercial and industrial uses, and aggressively pursue diversification of housing awards. While recognizing the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' duties of commissioners as trustees, your Committee finds it would serve the primary purpose of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to appropriate its lease revenue from commercial property uses to homeland lot development.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 59, S.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair