Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 1992 — Our Readers Write [ARTICLE]

Our Readers Write

To the editor: I want to congratulate tbe Board of Trustees and Chairman Clayton Hee on the successes achieved by the legislative session. As many of you are aware, the 1992 Legislature was faced with a myriad of program requests whieh exceeded available tax revenues. Thus, all requests for additional funding had to be seriously weighed in light of our fiseal constraints, but OHA was able to make progress in several kev areas.

First. OHA was successful in obtaining a commitment from the state of Hawai'i to initiate the first of i several entitlement payments whieh are owed to the | Hawaiian people for the use of ceded lands over the ■ past ten years. From a total of $111.8 million owned by the state, OHA will receive its first payment of $5 million in the 1992-1993 fiscal year. Second, OHA will now be entitled to receive 20 percent of the fair market value of public lands eonveyed by the state to the Housing Finance Development Corporation (HFDC) for the development of housing at Kealakehe and Lahaina. OHA will also receive 20 percent of the revenues fro HFDC's nonresidential use of lands after certain conditions are met.

Finally, the Legislature supported resolutions . whieh urge the federal government to honor and fulfill the federal trust obligations to native Hawaiians. requested the Govemor to institute legal proceedings against the United State government concerning the breach of the federal mist obligations, and request the establishment of an ad hoe panel to examine issues related to Hawaiian entitlement.

I wish to convey my appreciation to Trustees DeSoto and Aiona as well as OHA administrators Richard Paglinawan and Stanley Lum for actively advocating for OHA and the Hawaiian people. As one of the first trustees elected to OHA's governing board, I take great pride in sharing your successes. I will eonīinue to do all that I ean to further the efforts of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. A. Leiomalama SoIomon, Ph.D Majority Floor Leader State Senator, Third District