HB 402 Summary

• Requires all grants and contracts awarded by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to receive individual board of trustees approval through separate votes for each grant.

• Reduces the University of Hawaii's portion of public land trust receipts to only the amount equal to tuition and special funds used for Native Hawaiian programs, redirecting remaining amounts to OHA.

• Establishes a public land trust revenues negotiating committee comprised of the governor, senate president, house speaker, OHA chairperson, and two legislative representatives to determine increased annual funding for OHA from the public land trust.

• Directs the Department of Budget and Finance to conduct a financial review of public land trust revenues and the Auditor to review all state programs serving Hawaiians, with reports due before the 2020 legislative session.

• Prohibits any funding increases recommended by the negotiating committee until the fiscal and comprehensive reviews are completed and submitted to the legislature.