Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2006 — Ceded lands revenue bill moves forward [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ceded lands revenue bill moves forward

By Derek Ferrar Public lnformation Specialist As this year's state legislative session nears its half-way point, a number of bills affecting OHA remain alive, including a pair of bills that would authorize funding for the tem-

porary ceded lands revenue agreement reached between OHA and Gov. Linda Lingle in January. Under the terms of the agreement, OHA would receive $15.1 million annually, in addition to a one-time payment of $17.5 million for certain undisputed past-due

amounts. The Senate version of the bill passed the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Feb. 13, although both of the Senate's two Hawaiian members expressed eoneem that the agreed-upon revenue totals were too low. "Personally, I believe it should be a higher amount, but I also recognize that there are others in the Legislature who feel that Hawaiians should get nothing," said Sen. Kalani English, who voted in favor of the measure. Sen. Clayton Hee, a former OHA trustee, said he would not stand in the way of the bill, but he told loeal media that he believed OHA was settling for "crumbs at the table of the king." OHA Administrator Clyde Nāmu'o responded that the

agreement with the governor does not settle the state's obligation to OHA on a permanent basis, and that negotiations are set to continue on other, more disputed sources of revenue. "Sometimes the best way is to choose more modest goals that lead to a greater result in the end," he said. In the House, the measure passed the Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Feb. 15, but with an amendment inserted by committee Chairman Scott Saiki that would require an annual accounting of the state's ineome from ceded lands. "Nobody really knows what amounts of revenues are being generated," Saiki told The Honoīuīu Advertiser. "It's important for us to centralize the information so that parties won't be second-guessing the

amounts that are being paid every year." Supporters of the agreement, however, expressed concern that Saiki's amendment is outside the terms of the deal and might not be accepted by the governor. "If the amendment stays in, it could turn out to be a dealbreaker for the governor," said OHA Deputy Administrator Ron Mun. "We certainly hope that doesn't turn out to be the case." As Ka Wai Ola went to press, both the Senate and House versions of the bill were due to be considered by eaeh chamber's respective finance committee. To track the progress of this and other OHA bills before this year's Legislature, go to www.OHA. org, and eliek on "OHA 2006 legislation matrix." S

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