STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1429

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 209

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 209, H.D. 2, 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 fiscal years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Aha Moku Advisory Committee, Hawaii Green Growth, REACH Out Hawaii, and two individuals.  Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies and two individuals.

     Your Committee recognizes the significance of the services and advocacy that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) provides its beneficiaries and acknowledges the need to ensure that OHA has sufficient resources to continue those services.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by, among other things:

     (1)  Providing $500,000 in general funds and $500,000 in trust funds in each fiscal year to be expended at OHA's discretion, knowing that OHA leverages state dollars to provide important services to the native Hawaiian community; and

     (2)  Adding a proviso to require that general funds for beneficiary advocacy be matched by at least an equal amount of OHA trust funds and be expended only for the direct support of beneficiaries.  Your Committee intends that this proviso apply to all state general fund appropriations for beneficiary advocacy, including state general funds not subject to the provisos of sections 5 to 8 in the measure.

     Your Committee also comments on OHA's practice of using the mass or social media to encourage people to contact the Legislature for lobbying purposes.  Your Committee finds that OHA has the right to lobby or advocate for its funding or position on public policy issues.  Your Committee, however, requests OHA to use its trust funds for any media campaign on legislative issues, and to focus public dollars towards beneficiary advocacy and service.

     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. 209, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 209, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair