HI HR56

Request that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs convene a task force of Hawaiian leaders, legal scholars, and Hawaiian community members to review whether OHA trustees should be appointed rather than elected.

Direct the task force to consider the appropriate appointing authority and develop a process for identifying qualified potential trustees for submission to that authority.

Require OHA to report findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2018 Regular Session convenes.

Cite concerns that federal court decisions (Rice v. Cayetano and Arakaki v. State) allowing non-Hawaiians to vote for and run for OHA trustee positions have diminished Hawaiian self-determination and that elected trustees function as political office holders rather than fiduciaries.

Note that the 2016 OHA elections showed 23-26.9 percent blank votes, suggesting voter dissatisfaction with the current electoral process.