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OHA committee pushes for $1 million audit and inventory funding after short-form substitute for SB 903
Summary
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) committee discussed a short-form substitute of SB 903 that now contains language from HB 1358, including a $1,000,000 request for an audit and inventory for the Public Land Trust Working Group; trustees voted to adopt staff positions on bills naming OHA.
Trustees on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) Committee on Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment discussed a short-form substitute for SB 903 that has been replaced with language from HB 1358 and includes OHA’s request for $1,000,000 to fund an audit and inventory for the Public Land Trust Working Group.
The item was discussed during the committee’s matrix review of bills naming OHA. Lena Alalei, OHA’s director of advocacy, told trustees the short-form was a “cut and replace” using OHA’s language and that the language requests the working group remain active and an appropriation for the inventory. Staff said the short-form currently sits on the House side and does not yet contain the appropriation; OHA continues to advocate for insertion of the $1,000,000 in the budget or through a conference allocation.
Public comment came from Doreen Myers, who identified herself as an OHA beneficiary and Hawaiian homestead lessee. Myers testified that the amended HD1 to SB 903 struck prior Global Settlement Working Group language and inserted HB 1358 HD3’s appropriation language, and she urged OHA to use the phrasing “native Hawaiian crown and government lands” in testimony and advocacy to emphasize the historical basis for trust revenues.
Trustees discussed options to secure the appropriation, including asking the House Finance and Ways and Means chair to insert the appropriation in the budget language, pursuing a governor’s message (GM) asking for funding from the executive branch, or OHA absorbing costs in the short term. Trustees noted the bill’s pending referral and the upcoming deadlines in the legislative calendar.
The committee moved and passed a motion to adopt staff recommendations for positions on bills that name OHA as reflected in Matrix 2; the roll-call vote recorded seven yes votes and the motion passed.
Why it matters: OHA’s requested audit and inventory is intended to support review of public land trust assets and inform future policy; how the appropriation is secured—through a stand-alone bill, insertion in the budget, or a governor’s request—will determine timing and the legal vehicle for the work.
Among next steps, trustees asked staff to coordinate with board leadership and the governor’s office as appropriate and to keep trustees informed about hearings and any changes to bill language or appropriations.
