STAND. COM. REP. NO. 21

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 389

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 389 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the operating expenses of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kūpuna for the Mo‘opuna, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, and fourteen individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous state agency, established by Article XII, Section 4 and Article XI, Section 5, of the Hawaii State Constitution and Chapter 10, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that is responsible for improving the well-being of native Hawaiians and Hawaiians. This measure appropriates funds for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' operating budget in support of plans for the upcoming biennium and is vital to fulfilling the mandates of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank dollar amount for all appropriations of general funds and trust funds; and

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

Your Committee notes that although the appropriations are blank, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' testimony requests an appropriation of the following sums:

(1) $415,000 in general funds and $415,000 in trust funds for fiscal year 2021-2022 and the same sums for fiscal year 2022-2023 for referral services and case management to at-risk Office of Hawaiian Affairs beneficiaries for financial assistance to improve stability during emergency situations;

(2) $615,000 in general funds and $615,000 in trust funds for fiscal year 2021-2022 and the same sums for fiscal year 2022-2023 for educational improvement programs for native Hawaiian students; and

(3) $524,400 in general funds and $524,400 in trust funds for fiscal year 2021-2022 and the same sums for fiscal year 2022-2023 to provide for legal services and legal representation.

Your Committee's intent in recommending this measure for passage is for the adjustments expressed to be incorporated into the General Appropriations Act of 2021, or other appropriate legislative vehicle or to be adopted separately. As such, your Committee requests that your Committee on Ways and Means incorporate the adjustments expressed by this measure into the appropriate legislative vehicle or amend this measure to include any provisions necessary to effectuate its purpose and intent.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 389, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 389, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair