Bill > SR41

This Resolution requests the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), which manages over 200,000 acres of land for Native Hawaiians, to study the possibility of creating its own enforcement division with police powers. Currently, the DHHL's enforcement section investigates issues like trespassing and illegal activities on these lands but lacks the authority to directly enforce laws, relying instead on county police or the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DLNR's DOCARE). The resolution highlights recent incidents, such as the investigation of an illegal game room, to illustrate the limitations faced by the DHHL's enforcement efforts without direct police authority, and asks the DHHL to submit the findings of this feasibility study, along with any proposed legislation, to the State Legislature by early 2023.