Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 2, 1 February 1998 — Beneficiaries list priorities on issues [ARTICLE]

Beneficiaries list priorities on issues

Listed below are the issues voted on by benefīciaries who • attended Beneficiary Outreach Project meetings in January. I Eaeh percentage represents the amount of people at a particular : meeting who felt that a particular issue should be a priority for • the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Eaeh beneficiary was allowed • to select six of the nine issues.

i The law should be amended so the Office ] of Hawaiian Affairs ean improve service and support to all Hawaiians and have a seat on the State Board of Land and Natural Resources. BOP #1 — 14 percent BOP #2 — 0 percent BOP #3 — 2 percent BOP #4 — 5 percent BOP #5 — 11 percent BOP #6 — 0 percent BOP #7 — 9 percent BOP #8 — 0 percent BOP #9 — 6 percent

IBecause large numbers of voters ean have important impact, the Hawaiian vote in the |primary, general and OHA elections is a basic, significant means of empowerment and must be fully |exercised. BOP #1 — .04 percent BOP #2 — 5 percent BOP #3 — 0 percent BOP #4 — 0 percent BOP #5 — 5 percent BOP #6 — 25 percent BOP #7 — 7 percent BOP #8 — 4 percent BOP #9 — 0 percent

The law should be amended so that fees imposed on vital statistics records (birth, death, marriage, etc.) by the Department of Health ean be waived for beneficiaries of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. BOP #1 — 5percent BOP #2 — 0 percent BOP #3 — 5 percent !! BOP #4 — 1 percent BOP #5 — 2 percent BOP #6 — 0 percent BOP #7 — 0 percent BOP #8 — 2 percent BOP #9 — 0 percent

The law should be amended to allow the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to be a party to escheat actions prior to1987 as a means to keep the land under Hawaiian control. BOP #1 — 2 percent BOP #2 — 0 percent BOP #3 — 12 percent BOP #4 — 1 percent BOP #5 — 5 percent BOP #6 — 2 percent BOP #7 — 3 percent BOP #8 — 1 percent BOP #9 — 0 percent

Amend the State Procurement Act to allow the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to designate the individual to serve as Chief Procurement Officer for the agency. BOP #1 — .04 percent BOP #2 — 0 percent BOP #3 — 0 percent BOP #4 — 0 percent BOP #5 — 0 percent BOP #6 — 0 percent BOP #7 — 0 percent BOP #8 — 1 percent BOP #9 — 0percent

Hawaiians should vigilantly protect our traditional and customary practices. 1 . Hawaiians should resist registration, licensing and any regulations designed to limit the exercise of our traditional and customary practices as |discussed in the PASH decision. 2. The public should realize that land ownership in Hawai'i is different from land ownership on the continent. BOP #1 — 22 percent BOP #2 — 26 percent BOP #3 — 16 percent BOP #4 — 20 percent BOP #5 — 14 percent BOP #6 — 22 percent BOP #7 — 17 percent BOP #8 — 15 percent BOP #9 — 36 percent

The State should honor its promise to Native Hawaiians. 1 . The state should pay Hawaiians the money it owes under Act 304 as interpreted by Judge Heely. 2. An eight-member committee is in charge Iof a global revision of the State's existing contract obligations to Hawaiians. It is unfair that the Govemor and the legislature have six votes and the Hawaiians have only two. 3. The state should pay its debt to Hawaiians with money or with lands Hawaiians designate. 4. The state should pay Hawaiians the airport landing fees it owes. 5. The state should provide Hawaiians with an accurate and complete inventory of ceded lands as defined by Hawaiians. BOP #1 — 27 percent BOP #6 — 33 percent BOP #2 — 32 percent BOp #? _ 27 BOP #3 — 30 percent BOP #8 — 30 percent BOP #4 — 40 percent BOP #5 — 30 percent BOP #9 — 32 percent

Hawaiians should decide how land in Hawai'i is used. 1 . Hawaiians should have a seat on the Board of Land and Natural Resources. 2. The Governor's Eeonomie Revitalization Task Force's recommendation to eliminate the Land Use Commission should be rejected and Hawaiians should have a seat Ion that commission. 3. Hawaiians should control the manner in whieh the ceded lands are managed and disposed of by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. 4. DLNR Director Dean Uchida's proposal to remove Hawaiian input on the disposition of ceded lands should be rejected. BOP #1 — 18 percent BOP #6 — 13 percent BOP #2—25 percent BOp #7 _ 27 BOP #3 — 30 percent „„„ u. . BOP #8—30 percent BOP #4 — 30 percent BOP #5 — 30 percent B°P #9—6 percent

Because a constitutional convention could be detrimental to native rights and the future of Hawaiian sovereignty, vote against a convention to propose a revision of or amendments to the Hawai'i Constitution. BOP #1 — 11 percent BOP #2 — 12 percent BOP #3 — 7 percent BOP #4 — 4 percent BOP #5 — 5 percent BOP #6 — 5 percent BOP #7 — 9 percent BOP #8 — 16 percent BOP #9 — 19 percent

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