STAND. COM. REP. NO.  793

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 207

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 207, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAINING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that newly appointed members of certain State councils, boards, and commissions have sufficient knowledge of native Hawaiian and Hawaiian traditional and customary rights to properly fulfill their roles and responsibilities and uphold the public trust.  Specifically, this measure requires the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to establish a training course on native Hawaiian and Hawaiian traditional and customary rights, resource protection, and public trust administration, which shall be mandatory for certain State council, board, and commission members and shall be available to all State officers and employees.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Land Use Commission, Aha Moku Advisory Committee, Economic Development & Intergovernmental Relations Committee, a Councilmember of the Kaua‘i County Council, Kalihi Palama Hawaiian Civic Club, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, Hawai‘i Green Growth, King Kamehameha Hawaiian Civic Club, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies, and Puakukalo Hawaiian Homes Community Association opposed this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2030, to facilitate further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 207, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 207, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair