HI HR205

Governor is requested to convene and chair a Hawaiian Home Lands Improvement Working Group with representatives from Hawaiian Homes Commission, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Legislature leadership, and Hawaiian community organizations.

Working group is tasked with making recommendations to improve efficiency of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and developing a plan to reduce wait times for qualified applicants seeking Hawaiian home land leases.

All working group meetings must be open to the general public and findings and recommendations must be submitted to the Legislature no later than 20 days before the 2020 Regular Session convenes.

Working group is authorized to cease operations on June 30, 2020, and certified copies of the resolution must be transmitted to relevant state and community leaders.

Resolution acknowledges that since 1921 only 9,800 Hawaiian home land leases have been issued despite the intent of the 1920 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to enable native Hawaiian self-sufficiency and return to ancestral lands.