Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 7, 1 July 1999 — Federal legislation update [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Federal legislation update

N THE coming months, three measures moving through the U.S. Congress will impact Native Hawaiians. The Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act is up for re-autho-rization. Congress originally passed this in 1988, and funding was re-autho-rized in 1992 for a 10-year period ending in 2002. Federal monies coming to Hawai'i under this law and the current authorization, more than $31 million, fund the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems, the Native Hawaiian Scholarship Program, Papa Ola Lōkahi and 82 heahh scholarships. Through the Native Hawaiian Heahh Care Systems, 20,000 Native Hawaiians continue to receive services annually. Now Pinky Thompson and the Papa Ola Lōkahi (POL) Board want to use this measure to convert themselves into a "sovereign entity." They are currently proposing amendments to the reauthorization bill whieh would allow POL to be classified as a "loeal government." I oppose this and urge all Hawaiians to attend the POL's community information sessions in August and to voice their opposition to this effort. Papa Ola

Lōkahi was established to work on Hawaiian Heahh, not to circumvent sovereignty. The Native Hawaiian Education Act is also up for re-authorization. Passed by the Congress in 1994, this measure created a Native Hawaiian Education Council comprised of 25 members who were to work collectively to advance

Hawaiian educational needs. Members of the eouneil are both Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian. In recent years, the eouneil has been criticized for being too exclusive and failing to represent the broad spectrum of Hawaiian education and programs. In order to address these issues, OHA is proposing amendments limiting eaeh organization to one seat on the eouneil and requiring eouneil members to represent the areas of early child-

hood, elementary, secondary and higher education. Additionally, OHA has added language to include programs for youth at risk and to provide for early education demonstration projects on

eaeh island - areas not addressed in the first bill. The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act will be amended if S.225 is enacted by the Congress. For six years, efforts have been made to secure federal funds for low-ineome Hawaiians

who, according to a recent study by the Washington-based Urban Institute, have the worst housing eonditions in the U.S. This measure, as drafted by Senator Inouye and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, would limit benefits to 50 percent bloods on DHHL lands. All other impoverished Hawaiians would be excluded. Several trustees have opposed this limitation and have called for amendments to include all impoverished

Hawaiians, regardless of blood quantum or the location where their homes will be built. This measure has pitted DHHL against OHA. OHA's benefīciaries are

all Hawaiians of any blood quantum. At the present, OHA provides a $10 million fund for Habitat for Humanity, primarily for home construction on DHHL lands. In addition, OHA's low-interest down payment program is restricted to DHHL lessees. At present, DHHL wants OHA to provide an additional $1.2 million to cover administrative costs for self-help projects on DHHL lots. OHA has supported DHHL, but when we asked DHHL to support OHA and our poorer Hawaiians, DHHL refused ! Meetings will be held in Hawai'i and Washington, D.C., in July to try to resolve these differences and eome up with a "win-win" bill. Mahalo to Habitat for Humanity, the Maunalaha Community Association, and the Kalapana 'Ohana for coming forward to support inclusive amendments to the bŪl. As we all know, poverty is not defined by blood quantum nor is it limited to the homesteads. In the last 10 years, these and other federal laws have brought more than $300 million to Hawai'i for Hawaiians. These funds flowing into our state eeonomy do not eome from Hawai'i taxpayers. Freddy Rice wants to stop these funds. If he succeeds at the U.S. Supreme Court, the result will be a substantial financial burden to the state and its taxpayers, Hawaiian and non-Hawai-ian alike. ■

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