Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 5, 1 Mei 1996 — What would SB 1698 mean to the OHA trust and Hawaiians? [ARTICLE]

What would SB 1698 mean to the OHA trust and Hawaiians?

How an 80 percent reduction in ceded lands revenue would hurt Hawaiians • Lost jobs and community development A significant portion of the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund is supplied by trust funds and the federal government requires that OHA match the federal contribution. Trust funds are also used along with state moneys for the agency's eommu-nity-based eeonomie development (CBED) projects. A cutback in ceded lands revenues would mean these programs would likely have to be scaled back. This would mean less money for Hawaiian businesses and CBED groups. • Fevver scholarships and educational opportunities OHA's education division provides scholarships for Hawaiian students paitially with trust funds. The division also supports tutorial programs, programs for gifted young Hawaiians, early education and kupuna programs, an annual Hawaiian youth Legislature, and higher education recruitment and retention programs. All of these could be affected by a significant reduction in OHA trust funds. • Fewer services to help Hawaiians The state has cut back extensively on services statewide and has looked to OHA to use its resources to support programs where there are a significant number of Hawaiians involved. OHA will not be able to do this if funds are reduced significantly. OHA also supports the Wai'anae Diet and Alu Like's multi-service system. Less money coming to OHA means less will be available for these services. • Less opportunity for Hawaiians to own their own homes OHA has begun an extensive self-help housing project for native Hawaiians on homestead lands across the state. The agency is also developing a kūpuna housing project in Waimānalo and is working to build a sustainable community in Kalapana. All of these projects rely on tmst funds and would likely have to be curtailed if funding is reduced. • Reduced support for empowering cultural activities Trust funds have been used to support important cultural endeavors such as the recent trip by the voyaging eanoe Makali'i to the Marquesas and Rocky Jensen's carving school on the Big Island. • Loss of water rights and land title claims OHA funds the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation to defend more than 1000 families and recover $10 million worth of land. Trust funds also go to the Native Hawaiian Advisory Council who are seeking water for Windward O'ahu lo'i kalo.