HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES OHA FUNDING BILL

The House Committee on Water, Land & Hawaiian Affairs on January 30 passed out House Bill 402 which substantially increases funding for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.  This measure would establish $35 million as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' pro rata share of the public land trust and transfers a lump sum of $139 million to OHA for underpayment of the public land trust funds.

As prescribed in section 5(f) of the Admissions Act, twenty percent of ceded land revenues are to be transferred to OHA for the betterment of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.  It has been over a decade since a settlement was reached in 2006 to set an "interim amount" at $15.1 million.  

Representative Daniel Holt (Kalihi, Pālama, Iwilei, Chinatown), co-chair of the Hawaiian Caucus, issued the following statement:

“It is our kuleana as a legislature to bring equity to decades long discussions and debates, and I am glad we are moving forward towards a solution” said Rep. Holt.

The bill now moves to the Finance Committee.