Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 4, 1 April 1997 — OHA's pressing issues [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA's pressing issues

Mueh has been going on at OHA to muzzle me, henee my absence in the last Ka Wai Ola o OHA. That rubbish, I ean handle. Thank you to all who called to find out why there was no eolumn. BUT, OHA HAS MORE PRESSING ISSUES REGARDING THE: • Legislative onslaught • Status of the New Trustees • Management Audit Results • Prevailing community attitude • Your Beneficiary Rights in HRS 92F. LEGISLATION: Please keep in mind the following schedule due to the lapse in time: April 1 1 Bills in question will probably be in conference committees. Call as many legislators that you know to register your position. April 29 end of Session. HB 2207 would eap OHA revenues at $15 million, until an agree-

ment is worked out via a task torce. We tace a contrary puoue rueiea oy tne budget situation and media notations that OHA has accumulated $245 million in a revolving investment fund that is never used for the beneficiaries. In '92/93/94 the lump sum investment stash was received, the annual payment since, has been less than the $15 million (?). HĀ HAWAI'I, the HSEC mutation is campaigning to receive $8 million in joint funding from the state , OHA and HĀ, a private source in HB 2605. I am definitely against this bill, if for just one reason; HSEC's reporting and money management of the $1.8 million received was 'kāpulu' and irresponsible. Their election procedures were less than open, truthful or representative of a sovereignty quest. SENATE BILL 08, to add ridicu!ous requirement provisions to qualify for access rights. It was magnificently overwhelmed by a group who now eall themselves the 'īlio'ulaokalani. Their spontaneous eall to react to SB 08's unthinking treatment of land as a commodity was an indelible stand against abuse. Their impassioned plaintive statement carried a message to all of Hawai'i. It was not a threat, their intonation was, " Do you realize that if you pass this bill you will render us migratory Hawaiians, without the right of access to the resources of our homeland? This given expressed by Pualani Kanahele sparked the fervent response of awareness from all of Hawai'i, not only the affected politicians. One bv one the kumu harkened to the distant eall of the drums, catching planes, or driving to the Capitol with their pahu. The public sat up and listened and the Senate committee tore up the bill. This was not a demonstration crying victimhood, it was a stalwart cultural assertion of our posterity. BUT BEWARE, THE PROVISION MAY SURFACE IN ANOTHER BILL. New trustees Still not seated due to the Supreme Court delay on the Akaka, Kealoha suit, Machado and Springer are making their presence and ideas known despite their non-voting status. There is mueh more inquiry and board table discussion whieh ean only be healthy and the scrutiny of benefit to beneficiaries. Audit management Write to the OHA's Administrator for a copy of the audit that you must read. The quest through the courts for access to necessary information has been confirmed in the audit. In a detailed response, Chairman Hee has acknowledged to the auditor a commitment to direct the administrator to e.g. prepare financial reports, upgrade the variance reports, and establish budgetary accounting and evaluating systems. His detailed confirmation is in fact a mandate to the administrator to put our house in order and to provide more working information to the trustees. This is a positive move calling for more recordation of data by staff. The openness will clear many suspicions. USE HRS 92F, it gives you a right to access information. A response within ten days from the Ādministrator, is set by law. e.g., you ean access Copy of minutes (may take longer) Names of persons borrowing ftmds, amount, purpose and status Lists of contract and consultant hires, the contract and compensation OHA belongs to you. In the past two years the only beneficiaries regularly attending the trustee meetings, not for grants, but to observe the proceedings have been: Jo Lawrence, Havanna MacLafferty, Vienna Nahinu, Clara Kakalia, Richard Kinney, Lela Hubbard and the Sam Kepanos. Call 594-1872, 594 1860 for information E-mail comments: billie@hgea.org

Trustee, At-Large