Bill > HB293

This bill addresses the transfer of public land trust revenues to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), a state agency dedicated to serving Native Hawaiians. The bill requires all state departments and agencies that collect receipts from ceded or public land trust lands to establish trust holding accounts and calculate OHA's share of these revenues, which is set at 20% of the total receipts. Agencies must determine if any legal restrictions prevent transferring funds and, if not, calculate OHA's portion based on the ceded and non-ceded land fraction. They must then deposit OHA's share into a dedicated trust holding account and transfer those funds to OHA within ten days of each fiscal quarter. The bill stems from a long-standing constitutional mandate to provide Native Hawaiians with a portion of income from lands previously owned by the Hawaiian monarchy, which were ceded to the United States. Previous legislative actions have attempted to define and implement this revenue sharing, but this bill aims to create a more comprehensive and transparent mechanism for transferring funds. Importantly, the bill explicitly states that its passage does not resolve or settle Native Hawaiian claims to these land trust revenues. The new provisions will take effect on July 1, 2025, providing state agencies time to prepare for the new accounting and transfer requirements.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=293&year=2025