Office of Hawaiian Affairs asks for court help to get state to pay $200M
HONOLULU — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has asked the state Supreme Court to require the Legislature to address $200 million in past due public land trust revenue claims.
OHA said Wednesday that OHA and the Lingle administration entered into a settlement agreement that resolved the claims in 2008.
The revenues are for the state's use of ceded lands, such as airports, hospitals and the Hawaii Housing Authority.
According to OHA, court decisions in 2001 and 2006 mandated the Legislature address the claims. It says its proposals submitted during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions were rejected.
OHA's chief executive officer, Clyde Namuo, called going to the Supreme Court on Wednesday "a means of last resort."
Replies
Misusing funds from the alleged "ceded lands" revenues to OHA for non-native Hawaiian beneficiuaries is a conflict of OHA's mission. They recently stated they ran out of funds to give a grant to some native Hawaiians that could have used the money to help finance their trip to Tahiti for a cultural exchange.
We've gone round-robin with the State and OHA about the settlement of revenues owed by the State for the native Hawaiians. The State has been derelict in its trust obligations since 1959 and OHA has been derelict since 1978 in securing the funds and to use it for the betterment of the native Hawaiians.
Left hand playing around with the right hand; now you see it, now you don't. They better get things straightened out soon. This is a premonition of what the Akaka Bill will do for the native Hawaiians should it pass.
o Pomai