Events

Press Conference: Senate’s budget cuts would cripple Native Hawaiian programs.

Created by eunice kalahele (See other events)
  • Apr 27, 2009 from 6:30am to 7:00am
  • Location: Queen Lili`uokalani's statue, next to state capitol
  • Latest Activity: Jul 30, 2021
April 24, 2009Senate’s budget cuts would cripple Native Hawaiian programsThe Senate is bent on unfairly gutting programs that service Native Hawaiians by slashing funding to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs by 100%. No other agency or state office is being asked to bear that drastic of a cut. The amount in question is $3 million out of a $5.1 billion state general fund budget.The affected programs: Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Alu Like and Na Pua No’eau and their constituents, clients and supporters will be holding a press conference on:PRESS CONFERENCEDate Monday, April 27, 2009Time 4:30 p.m.Where Queen’s statue on the state capital grounds“The Senate is asking Hawaiians to suck it up even though the cuts are far above what any other state agency or office has been asked to bear”, said NHLC litigation director Alan Murakami. He also noted that a plan, approved by Governor Lingle and the Legislature, also eliminates general funding for the entire operating budget for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. DHHL is the only state department whose level of funding is mandated by the Hawai`i Constitution.“Other agencies with larger budgets such as the Hawai`i Tourism Authority ($71 million this year & $88 million last year) are not facing the same sort of drastic defunding,” he said.Under the Senate’s budget proposal, NHLC would lay off half of its 19 member staff, be forced to hand off clients and cases to outside firms who most likely will charge market rates for their legal assistance and eliminate its free counsel & advice, brief service and referral help. Approximately 3,000 individuals would be affected.“There are other cases that cannot be referred out because no other law firm has the “expertise” or focus in Native Hawaiian rights”, said NHLC Executive Director Mahealani Wendt. “We are unique in that regard.” NHLC staff has already taken pay cuts and the office space is being scaled back to approximately one half of its existing square footage.Alu Like has forecasted that 3,000 Native Hawaiians will not receive services. Like NHLC, Na Pua No`eau will suffer staff losses and be forced to close its offices on each island. Over 1,500 students will be negatively affected.Senators believe OHA should use its own monies to make up the budget cuts or use the attorney’s fee award that it received from NHLC. NHLC was awarded $2 million due to a settlement agreement after a circuit court judge ruled that NHLC was entitled to attorneys fees since it prevailed. Some senators believe OHA should return that money to the state.“Returning the money to the state is tantamount to rewarding those who allowed the violations to occur,” Murakami said. “In the case of Hokulia, a major part of the lawsuit targeted state and county agencies which had failed to carry out their trust duties. To give the state any portion of this attorney fees award would turn justice on its head.”OHA has said that its ceded lands money or “trust corpus” has been drastically reduced (by 30%) because of the downturn turn in the stock market. OHA is limited in its ability to make up any difference in funding. Spending restrictions on how the money is to be used is covered by law, precluding the Legislature from dictating how it should be spent.PLEASE SHOW SUPPORT BY ATTENDING.
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