191
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                                
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                     HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO ASSIST THE
   RESIDENTS OF MAUNALAHA VALLEY IN IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE,
   AND SUGGEST LEGISLATION OR OTHER MEASURES TO SUSPEND THE
   SUCCESSION RIGHTS PROVISIONS OF LEASES TO FACILITATE THE
   ACQUISITION OF LOANS.



 1       WHEREAS, under Act 225, Session Laws of Hawaii 1981, the
 2   Legislature found documented evidence which clearly indicated
 3   that the various governments of Hawaii since monarchial days
 4   had expressed an intent to grant long-term tenure to the
 5   persons who had resided for many decades in Maunalaha Valley,
 6   Honolulu, Oahu; and 
 7   
 8       WHEREAS, based on these findings, there was a moral
 9   obligation to offer the Maunalaha Valley residents an
10   opportunity to negotiate long-term leases with the Department
11   of Land and Natural Resources for parcels upon which their
12   homes are located; and
13   
14       WHEREAS, at various times after the issuance of these
15   leases, Maunalaha residents have requested assistance from the
16   Legislature in the form of infrastructure development or
17   housing funds to improve their living conditions; and
18   
19       WHEREAS, other requests have also been made to allow self-
20   help housing as a means to improve the living conditions of the
21   residents; and
22   
23       WHEREAS, today, substandard infrastructure as well as
24   descendant provisions in the leases prevent many of the
25   Maunalaha residents from acquiring conventional mortgage loans
26   to improve their homes; and
27   
28       WHEREAS, over the years, various alternatives have been
29   proposed to secure a permanent resolution to the predicament of
30   the residents of Maunalaha Valley; and
31   
32       WHEREAS, the Legislature is committed to seeking a
33   permanent resolution of the land tenure dilemma faced by
34   residents of Maunalaha Valley; now, therefore,
35   

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 2   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 3   of 1999, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is
 4   urged to assist the residents of Maunalaha Valley in improving
 5   infrastructure, and suggest legislation or other measures to
 6   suspend the succession rights provisions of leases to
 7   facilitate the acquisition of loans; and 
 8   
 9       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
10   Natural Resources is requested to consult with financial
11   institutions to determine the specific lease provisions, such
12   as the succession rights clause, that prevent Maunalaha
13   residents from receiving loan approval; and
14   
15       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
16   Natural Resources report its findings and recommendations to
17   the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
18   convening of the Regular Session of 2000; and
19   
20       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
21   Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of
22   Land and Natural Resources.