Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 8, 1 August 1998 — Vice-chairperson's message [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Vice-chairperson's message

OHA's budget ALOHA MAI, e nā 'ōiwi o Hawai'i. This 18th article in a series of 46 focuses on OHA-funded initiatives for FY-99 (July 1, 1998 toJune 30 1999). The fiscal year, beginning July 1, launched the second and final

year of the 97-99 biennium. The OHA hiennium budget passed by the 1997 legislature in Act 240 (whieh combines general funds with OHA's public land trust) did not meet OHA's total request, so on June 30, the Board of Trustees approved a $5.5 million supplemental allocation. Thepreparation, review, debate and decisionmaking on the FY 98-99 budget began with the OHA Budget and Finance Committee chaired by Trustee Colette Machado. She worked with the adminisU'ation and division officers as they prepared staff recommendations for the B&F Committee. I join mv colleagues in anolamline Trustee Machado's

tenacity, focus, openness and hard work in keeping the B&F Committee on task, wilh full and free debate. whieh resulted in the recommendation of a complete budget (personnel and operations) ahead of schedule for action by the BOT. OHA operations are identified by program numbers: 100 - Board of Trustees and Administration;101 - Administrative Services Office; 102 - Public Information Office; 103 - Health and Human Services Division; 104 - Planning and Research Office, whieh includes evaluation, granLs and Operation 'Ohana; 105 - Culture Office; 106 - Govemment Affairs Office; 107 - Land and Natural Resources Division; 108 - Eeonomie Development Division; 109 - Education Division; 1 10 - Housing Division. Together, these offices and divisions implement initiatives to advance OHA's mission in serving our Hawaiian community. The following are speeial highlights for the next 12 months: Housing Division: Self-help Housing (approximately $300,000) will facilitate affordable homeownership for 30 families on Moloka'i and Hawai'i and a pilot project on Maui will test the use of alternative building materials in a self-help system to reduce costs of home construction for beneficiary families. A goal of the Housing Divi-

sion is home ownership through self-help eonstruction, for 500 Native Hawaiian families. As of June, 380 homes have been or are being completed. Education Division: Tutorial programs (approximately $300,000) help schools with tutoring and other support for student retention. The tutorial program began in 1986 with awards to two pro-

jects and has grown in 1997-98 with awards to 19. The initiative will provide more services to beneficiaries toward meeting the goal for educational parity in promoUon of students to the next grade level and graduation from high school. Planning and Research Office: The Grants Program Technieal Assistance Project (a combined total of approximately $30,000) will complete a program planning and grant writine manual for benefi-

ciaries and conduct grant writing workshops for beneficiaries in need of one-on-one technical assistance. Government Affairs Office: Hui Ho'āla Voter Education Project (approximately $25,000) includes the provision of election and legislative workshops and a process to increa.se beneficiary voter turnout. Culture Office: The burial sites program (approximately $71,000) allocation is for reinterment of iwi kūpuna, repatriation of ancestral remains, support of a cultural historian and reinterment specialist, and transportation, necessary for statewide service, within the Department of Land and Natural Resources burial program. At present, 250 active cases involving the remains of approximately 2,000 ancestors awaiting reinterment. New sites of iwi kūpuna are being discovered as new areas, such as the military bases at Mōkapu, undergo development or reconstruction. As a result of the federal law on Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the burial sites program provides technical and logistical support to island burial councils and Hawaiian organizations. Indeed, mueh work lies ahead for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in the next 12 months. ■

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