HI SCR57

Urges Hawaii's counties to expand property tax protections to include all lands purchased by Hawaiian Kingdom subjects under the Kuleana Act where titleholders can trace lineal ownership to the Kuleana Act.

Recognizes that families who purchased land under the Kuleana Act but whose parcels were not classified as kuleana land do not benefit from existing county property tax exemptions.

Acknowledges that rising property values and resulting high property taxes are causing Native Hawaiian families to lose ancestral lands that serve as homes, farms, and burial places.

Notes that the Kuleana Act originally resulted in only approximately 28,000 acres (less than one percent of Hawaii's total land) being claimed by commoners, despite Kamehameha III's intention for them to receive one-third of total lands.

Directs certified copies of the resolution to be sent to the Governor, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the mayors and councils of all four Hawaii counties.