Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2015 — 2015 OHA LEGISLATIVE REVIEW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

2015 OHA LEGISLATIVE REVIEW

By OHA Public Policy State board and commission members, who have affirmative duties to uphold the public trust and protect the legal rights of Native Hawaiians, will now be required to take a Native Hawaiian Law training course informing them of these legal obligations. This key move to protect the rights of OHA's beneficiaries is just one of several bills introduced by OHA, along with several others OHA supported, that will further the interests of Native Hawaiians after passing into law this year. Act 169, whieh was signed into law on June 30, provides an opportunity forkey state policymakers to understand and make decisions that are

consistent with the state's fiduciary obligations to the Native Hawaiian people, and to the public trust. Members of state boards and commissions are often selected for their depth of expertise in a range of specialized areas; however, they may not necessarily have specific knowledge of their additional legal duties relating to Native Hawaiian rights and the public trust. This Act will ensure that members of certain boards and commissions, including the Land Use Commission, Board of

Land and Natural Resources and Commission on Water Resource Management, have the tools and knowledge they need to better fulfill their legal responsibilities. Other new laws of note include protections for Native Hawaiian burial practices, requirements for the use of Hawaiian plants in public landscaping and long-awaited data-collection requirements to better serve the children of incarcerated parents, among others. In addition, for the second year in a row, none of the bills opposed by OHA passed out of the Legislature. OHA expresses its gratitude to the many legislators, agencies, stakeholders, beneficiaries and other partners and supporters, whose invaluable efforts helped to make this year's legislative session a success.

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