The state House, the Lingle administration and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs now appear to all be on the same page regarding a settlement of a longstanding dispute over ceded [sic] land revenues.

That could leave the fate of the $200 million settlement package in the hands of the 25 members of the state Senate.
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Three House committees yesterday voted to approve House Bill 266, House Draft 2, which OKs the state to hand over three parcels of land valued at $187 million and $13 million in cash to OHA.
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There are two key differences between SB 2733 — the original bill — and HB 266, the bill passed by the three committees yesterday:

  • The House bill states OHA will get a minimum of $15.1 million in future years as its share of ceded land revenues. A biennial report would be submitted from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which would analyze the amount of money derived from ceded lands, and the Legislature would determine how much OHA would ultimately get. The original bill calls for a flat $15.1 million annual payment, a key sticking point for some Native Hawaiians.

  • The House bill deletes all references to a "settlement." Caldwell said: "I believe this legislation sets a policy that enables a settlement but does not set the terms of the settlement. We're the policymaking branch of government."

The two sentiments voiced most frequently were that OHA, a state agency, cannot be trusted to fully represent kanaka maoli in negotiations with the state, and that such negotiations represent a tacit acceptance that the state has jurisdiction over the 1.4 million lands in question. (Another 400,000 acres are held by the fed.)

“You’re promoting a fraud,” said one man.

“You’re asking us to be collaborators with the enemy,” said another.