Homestead Hawaiians Request Legislation on Hawaiian Homes Commission Act

The Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) is partnering with the Association of Hawaiians for Homestead Lands (AHHL-Waitlist), both beneficiary organizations registered with the United States Department of Interior. These statewide homestead associations will work with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in an effort to enact two administrative amendments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920.

“Mahalo to Representative Diamond Garcia for reaching out last month on our legislative policy priorities,” said KipuKai Kualii, SCHHA Council Chair. “Our issues are always non-partisan, and we welcome legislators regardless of party affiliation to support the prudence of our requested amendments by co-sponsoring the legislation.”

The first amendment in the bill is to add a section that authorizes the Department of Interior to conduct rule making to give HHCA beneficiaries and the State of Hawaiʻi guidance when implementing various sections of the HHCA.

Regulations are a standard process for nearly every federal statute enacted; however, over the last century, only two have ever been accomplished relating to the HHCA. Both rules were championed under the leadership of President Obama with support from US Sen. Brian Schatz.

SCHHA seeks to emulate this best practice to benefit Native Hawaiians and the State of Hawaiʻi by authorizing federal rule making on HHCA provisions.

The second amendment would reinforce the composition of the Hawaiian Homes Commission by requiring at least five of the nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate be HHCA beneficiaries.

“Presently, and for decades, the statute states that at least four of the nine commissioners must be at least a quarter Hawaiian without any designation of seats for HHCA beneficiaries,” said Robin Puanani Danner, SCHHA Policy Director. “The HHC should include citizens most impacted and closest to the tenets of the HHCA, and this slight change honors the value, incredible knowledge and long-term perspective of HHCA beneficiaries the Act intends to serve.”

“Our waitlist leaders at AHHL support the legislation requested by the SCHHA and drafted by Representative Garcia,” said Mike Kahikina, AHHL Chairman, an original co-founder of the SCHHA. “It’s been over a century since the HHCA enactment in the US Congress, and 65 years since statehood – greater involvement of HHCA beneficiaries on the Hawaiian Homes Commission makes good sense and is just good public policy in our democracy.”

Kahikina is a former state representative, former governor appointed Hawaiian Homes Commissioner, and currently chairing AHHL to advocate the issuance of homestead leases to the 29,000 families on the State Government Waitlist.

The Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations was founded in 1987, unifying dozens of Homestead Associations across the islands, and today, serves the interests of more than 50 Homesteads. The SCHHA is dedicated to public policy, convening its annual Public Policy Roundtable, and the annual Hawaiian Home Lands Sovereignty Conference. The SCHHA mission is to protect and perpetuate the federal Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.