Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 2, 1 February 1997 — Board sends Legislature biennium $16 million budget request [ARTICLE]

Board sends Legislature biennium $16 million budget request

by Barbara Hastings The OHA Board of Trustees is able to move forward on business now that two of the four people elected Nov. 5 have been sworn in. Two others remain on the sidehnes awaiting the outeome to an eleehon challenge. The trustees held their first official meeting Jan. 10 with seven official members. The state Supreme Court ruled that reelected Trustee Moses Keale Sr., who represents Kauai and Niihau, and newly elected Trustee-at-Large Haunani Apoliona could be certified to take their seats and they did so. Apohona and Keale were sworn in 61 days after the election because the court determined they were not affected by the challenge filed in state Supreme Court by Moanikeala Akaka and Samuel Kealoha. The board is not officiahy reorganized and will not be until ah the seats are fihed. In the meantime, Clayton Hee continues as chairman, Abraham Aiona as vice ehauman and as chair of the Budget, Finance and Pohcy committee. The first order of business for the board was to approve a budget request of just under $8 miUion for eaeh year of the hiennium that cotdd be presented to the state legislature. Other OHA funding comes from trust funds. The budget request is a modest increase of shghtly less than 4 percent over last year for the first year of the biennium and less than 2 per-

cent for the second year. Machado and Springer are attending and participating in OHA meetings and legislative committee hearings but are barred from voting until they are certified by state eleehon officials. The challenge that Akaka and Kealoha filed in Supreme Court contends that OHA beneficiaries were not aU presented ballots on eleehon day. Hannah Springer, who bested Akaka by 72 votes and Colette Machado who defeated Kealoha by 643 votes, have not been certified to take seats. The high court gave Akaka and Kealoha time to submit evidence on their claims. Now the state elections office has until late in February to answer. In Circuit Court, the three newly elected trustees, Apoliona, Springer and Machado, were able to block the defeated trustees from taking part on OHA decisionmaking. A state Attorney General's opinion contended OHA's board could operate in emergency situations with the old "de facto" board. Judge Bambi Weil (eheek spelling) ruled differently. The defeated trustees had already taken part in a Budget, Finance and Policy committee meeting on the budget before Judge Weil ruled. Because the three made up a majority on the Budget, Finance and Policy Committee, Chairman Hee has named Trustees Rowena Akana, Moses Keale and Haunani ApoUona to sit with Aiona and Trustee Frenchy DeSoto on the committee.