Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 4, 1 April 1997 — Elections challenge update, key legislative dates [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Elections challenge update, key legislative dates

Aloha nui kākou. The focus of this article, the second in a series of 46 trustee articles is to update Ka Wai Ola o OHA readers on: 1) the status of the "elections challenge" that continues to affect Trustees-elect Hannah Kihalani Springer and Colette Pi'ipi'i Machado, and 2) on significant dates remaining in the calendar of the 19th State Legislature, along with highlights of legislative measures that bear special tracking for follow up actions by our beneficiaries. Trustees-elect status The chronology of "elections ehallenge " milestones (through February 10) was documented in the Trustee section of the March issue of Ka Wai Ola o OHA. Slow progress has been made in the Supreme Court but on March 6, 1997 the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai'i issued "Minute Order No. 9722" that stated: " Having determined, pursuant to HRS 602-10 and Rule 34(a) of the ! Hawai'i Rules of Appellate Procedure, | that oral argument in the following f case(s) will not be necessary, IT IS [ HEREBY ORDERED that no oral argur ment before disposition will be heard in the following case(s)." The "Minute Order" goes on to note five cases under consideration to whieh this determination applies. Case No. 20256 Akaka v. Yoshina is one of the five cases. The order further states: "Any party, however, may within ten days after mailing of this minute order by the clerk, file a motion for retention of oral argument, supported by a statement of reasons, pursuant to Rule 34(c) of the Hawai'i Rules of Appellate Procedure. Moreover this minute order is always subject to fur-

ther order of this court." Beneficiaries should be alert to more movement on this "elections ehallenge" case to occur in the week of March 17, 1997 (approximately 133 days since the November 5 election). Key legislative dates As of March 10 there were 31 more days before the April 29 (Tues.) "adjournment sine die". The first crossover occurred on March 6 (Thurs). The second crossover will occur on April 10 (Thurs). Between the first and second crossover dates measures that survive will be subject to further legislative committee hearings, whieh are open to the public. Beneficiaries and interested parties still have the opportunity to present testimony for input to these public policies through the hearing process. Call the OHA Government Affairs Office at 594-1888 for information on such measures. Two specific measures to track for follow up action are: HB 1857 HD1 Relating to Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Individual Claims and HB 2207 HD2, Relating to the Public Land Trust. HB 1857 HD1, in its amended form, seeks to "re-clarify" the legislative intent that originally established the Hawaiian Home Lands Individual Claims Panel in 1991 as well as to exclude certain types of individual claims, in retrospect. HB 2207 HD2, in its amended form, seeks to disregard judicial ruling on the public land trust by redefining these issues through legislative language, seeks to redefine "revenues" due from the public land trust to OHA, and provides "retroactive effect" of the statute. An informed Native Hawaiian community will be very effective in guiding public policy that impacts Native Hawaiians and the general population. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, through the assistance of Legislative Committee Chair, Trustee A. Frenchy DeSoto and Trustee Rowena Akana, convenes weekly Friday meetings to update attendees on the status of the legislative measures. Interested beneficiaries should eall 594-1888 to confirm the time for these Friday meetings. A hui hou aku nō kākou.

HAUHAHl Af0li9 HA Trustee, At-Large