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APPENDIX TO REVIEW OF HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION PROGRAMS"
This appendix consists of:
- A letter dated August 4, 1982, from George R. Ariyoshi, Governor of Hawaii, to Donald Paul Hodel, (then) Undersecretary, U.S. Department of the Interior; and
- Comments on the Inspector General's draft report, submitted by Governor Ariyoshi.
A. LETTER FROM GOVERNOR GEORGE ARIYOSHI
Dear Mr. Hodel:
Thank you for your letter of July 7, 1982, and the copy of "Review of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Programs," prepared by the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department
Generally, the draft is accurate in its description of the problems facing the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). Detailed comments are enclosed for your review. A copy will also be submitted to the Office of tns Inspector General, and to the Federal State Task Force on the Hawaiian Home Commission Act, which is charged with conducting a comprehensive review of all aspects of the act.
In the letter I received March 5, 1982, you stated that the purpose of the independent study was "to determine if the Department of the Interior has adequately executed its trust responsibilities" with respect to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA), the DHHL, and Section 5(f) of the Admission Act of 1959.
This basic and essential issue was not addressed and actually excluded from the draft report. Needless to to say, I was disappointed that the very purpose of the independent study is totally omitted.
Hawaii has cooperated with your staff, based on the premise that the state and federal governments share in trust responsibilities. The exclusion of the federal role is a serious concern.
The federal government has been involved in the HHCA from its inception. The HHCA was created by Congress. The focus of the program, the emphasis on rural homesteading, and the settmq aside of public lands for the HHCA were determined by the federal government.
The Territory of Hawaii, including the HHCA, was under the direct jurisdiction of the United States until statehood. The Congress and Departments of Justice and the Interior retained trust responsibilities over the HHCA through provisions in the Admission Act of 1959. These trust responsibilities remain in effect today. The federal government must not ignore its role in this matter.
The draft report includes a list of well-known problems. Hawaii continued to address these problems without diverting limited funds from direct services to native Hawaiians. Ignoring the federal government's and the level of resources required to resolve these problems is a major deficiency of the draft report.
In essence, the draft report as it exists will have a serious negative impact on the native Hawaiian beneficiary group, the program, and the general community. It will result in greater misunderstanding and a deterioration of community and legislative support which has taken 60 years to build. The federal and state government must pursue the identification,
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