STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1804
Honolulu,
Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 133
H.D. 1
S.D. 2
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 133, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, 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
costs of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the fiscal biennium beginning July
1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2025.
Your Committee
received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs.
Your Committee finds that the Office
of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous state agency, established by Article
XII, sections 4 and 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 its
mandates. Your Committee further finds
that for every dollar of state funds provided, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
matches these general funds with trust funds, community funds, and additional Office
of Hawaiian Affairs funds.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the amount appropriated for beneficiary
advocacy from an unspecified amount of general revenues to $87,000,000 for
fiscal year 2023-2024 and $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2024‑2025;
(2) Changing the amount appropriated for beneficiary
advocacy from an unspecified amount of public land trust funds to $3,000,000
per fiscal year;
(3) Deleting program provisions specifying
unspecified sums for occupancy-ready housing needs, social services, and
educational improvement programs for Native Hawaiian students;
(4) Adding a program provision specifying $65,000,000
in general funds for bulkhead repairs;
(5) Adding a program provision specifying $6,000,000 to prepare an environmental impact statement
for Hakuone;
(6) Adding a program provision specifying $13,000,000
for Kukaniloko;
(7) Changing the program provision for legal services and legal
representation to Office of Hawaiian Affairs beneficiaries from an
unspecified amount of general funds to $75,600 in general funds and $75,600 in
trust funds;
(8) Changing the program provision for protections
of aina (land and water) from an unspecified amount of general funds and trust
funds to $500,000 in general funds and $500,000 in trust funds; and
(9) Changing the program provision for ohana
(families and communities) economic stability from an unspecified amount of
general funds and trust funds to $370,000 in general funds and $370,000 in
trust funds.
As affirmed by
the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is
attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 133, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B.
No. 133, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of
the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,
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________________________________ DONOVAN
M. DELA CRUZ, Chair |
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