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OHA trustees unanimously approve staff positions across legislative matrices, press for $55M in carryover funds
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Summary
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs committee voted unanimously April 1 to adopt staff positions across multiple legislative matrices, advancing support-with-amendments on several bills and flagging a $55 million request held in a carryover trust account for OHA.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment voted unanimously April 1 to approve staff-recommended positions on a string of bills across its legislative matrices, advancing OHA's advocacy positions as the 2026 session moves toward conference.
The chair moved to approve staff positions for Matrix 2 (measures that name OHA) and subsequent matrices covering public land trust, natural resources, housing, health, education and other areas; the motions carried on unanimous votes reported by the recording secretary. Chief advocate Leina Ola told trustees that OHA is seeking a two-year, temporary increase equal to the full carryover balance in the public land trust carryover account, which she said is "$55,000,000 right now." "We want the money," she added.
Why it matters: trustees repeatedly framed the morning's votes as procedural approvals of staff positions that will guide testimony and advocacy the rest of the session. Several bills were highlighted as priorities: HB2101 (an aquarium-related measure that had a final hearing and may go to conference), HB2104 (island burial councils, still awaiting its final hearing in WAM), and HB1710 (a vehicle that now carries OHA package language related to historic preservation). Staff also flagged SB2313 (public financing for elections) and HCR199, a resolution asking the federal government to return surplus lands under public law 88-233; staff recommended narrowing HCR199 to remove a requirement that the Public Land Trust working group perform a fair-market-value assessment of federally held lands, noting that DLNR estimated such an assessment at roughly $2,000,000 and that the PLT working group has no appropriation for that work.
Trustees moved and approved changes that in several cases convert support to "support with amendments" so staff can continue to negotiate community-backed changes. For example, the committee approved moving HB2046 (Ola Lo Hawaii Commission) to support with amendments, allowing staff flexibility to match community amendments. On the public land trust topic staff explained the rationale for asking the legislature to provide OHA with temporary access to existing carryover funds rather than immediately litigating a 20% determination: "We, of course, say that, in all of our testimony and communications," said the chief advocate, "but for purposes of this 2-year funding mechanism, if it gives us the number, that's what we want."
The meeting included a substantive staff update on the HCDA community development district proposal for Banyan Drive; staff said OHA is asking to be a voting member of the district board and to include a lineal descendant seat because the area primarily comprises crown and government lands and has cultural significance.
Public comment: a member identifying as the Ohana Unity Party (screen name "Pikachu") urged more community engagement, alleged fraud in the Office of Elections and said OHA has not been receiving its Public Land Trust revenues; the commenter said they had filed reports with federal authorities.
Next steps: the approved staff positions give OHA direction for testimony and conference negotiations as bills move to final hearings and conference committees. Trustees and staff said they will continue to prioritize drafting testimony for nominees and nominees' confirmations in short order as the session timetable tightens.
