by Andrew Walden
The Hawaii State Auditor’s November, 2020 “Report on the Implementation of State Auditor’s Recommendations 2015 – 2018” includes two audits of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs which have received very different reactions from OHA Administration.
OHA has complied 100% with all 11 auditor recommendations in response to report 18-08, an audit of OHA’s smaller “Ahahui Grants” program. But OHA’s foot-dragging response to report 18-03, the “Kulia Initiatives” program shows that 32 of 39 recommendations are only “partially implemented.”
Of the two, Kulia Initiatives are larger dollar amounts given to a smaller number of politically influential organizations.
Ahahui Grants are often given to small non-profits to pay for a single event.
The net result: Keep the cash flowing to the usual insiders.
As the State Auditor explains:
IN REPORT NO. 18-03, Audit of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, we found spending on non-competitive Kūlia Initiatives was nearly double of what the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) spent on closely vetted, competitive grants and the Fiscal Reserve lacked a clear policy guiding its use and had been spent down rapidly. We reported CEO Sponsorships were subject to minimal oversight and were often, despite written guidelines, approved based on personal discretion. We also reported rules governing Trustee allowances were broad and arbitrarily enforced, leading to many instances of questionable spending.
Here is a list of the 32 incomplete Kulia recommendations, excerpted from Auditor’s Report 18-03:
Regarding OHA Board of Trustees:
(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.a.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, require trustees and trustee staff to attend regular training that includes, but is not limited to:
i. Fiduciary duties and other responsibilities of trustees;
ii. State Ethics Code, Chapter 84, HRS;
iii. Sunshine Law, part I of Chapter 92, HRS: and
iv. Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), Chapter 92F, HRS.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.b.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, ensure that OHA policies and procedures, applicable to trustees and the Administration, align and are consistent with OHA’s mission, trustees’ fiduciary duties, and State laws.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.c.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, develop a clearly defined process by which trustees must hold each other individually accountable for actions that are inconsistent with their collective fiduciary duties and responsibilities to trust beneficiaries and for violations of State laws.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.d.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, provide greater transparency into OHA’s administration of trust assets, including OHA’s fiscal year budgets and actual expenditures, specific information regarding the Grants, Sponsorships, and other funding awarded by OHA, OHA’s investment portfolio holdings and returns, and expenditures by trustees using Trustee Allowances. Consider posting such information on OHA’s website or some other similarly accessible public portal.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.f.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, require the Administration to develop a master list of all OHA Grants, Sponsorships, and other funding awarded, including the name of the individual, group, or organization receiving the funds, the amount of the award, and the approving or granting entity within OHA (such as the board, CEO, or line of business).
(Similar to 18-08 1.b.)
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 1.g.) OHA Board of Trustees should, in general, consider developing policies regarding the maximum number and maximum total dollar amounts of Grants, Sponsorships, and other funding awarded to the same individual, group, or organization during a fiscal year or other determined period.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.a.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, determine and clearly define the purpose of the Fiscal Reserve, considering the original intent of the reserve, as well as the board’s current intent for maintaining a reserve
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.b.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, review, update, and amend policies and procedures related to the Fiscal Reserve, including OHA’s Spending Policy and Fiscal Reserve Guidelines, as needed, to align with the defined purpose of the Fiscal Reserve. Such policies and procedures should clearly describe the circumstances in and purposes for which the Fiscal Reserve can be used.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.c.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, clarify and clearly define the purpose of the 5 percent spending limit, and determine whether it is necessary to establish a withdrawal rate limit to ensure the health and sustainability of the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.d.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, work with the administration, including OHA’s Investment Management staff, to determine and obtain the financial information necessary for the board to assess the short- and long-term impacts to the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund when considering use of the Fiscal Reserve.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.e.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, for each action item considering use of the Fiscal Reserve, ensure the Administration clearly includes the specific information as required by the Fiscal Reserve Guidelines and necessary for the board’s decision-making.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 3.f.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, ensure that the purpose and use of the Fiscal Reserve aligns and is consistent with: (a) OHA’s mission; (b) OHA’s policies and procedures; (c) trustees’ fiduciary duties; and (d) State laws.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 4.a.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to CEO Sponsorships, determine and clearly define the purpose of CEO Sponsorships.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 4.b.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to CEO Sponsorships, review, update, and amend policies and procedures related to CEO Sponsorships, as needed, to align with the defined purpose of CEO Sponsorships. Such policies and procedures should clearly describe the circumstances in and purposes for which CEO Sponsorships can be used.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 4.d.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to CEO Sponsorships, ensure that the purpose and use of CEO Sponsorships aligns and is consistent with: (a) OHA’s mission; (b) OHA’s policies and procedures; (c) trustees’ fiduciary duties; and (d) State laws.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.a.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, amend the Trustee Allowances policy to restrict the use of Trustee Allowances to expenses incurred by trustees relating to their communication with beneficiaries and the public, as was the original purpose of the Trustee Allowances, and reduce the Trustee Allowances to an amount determined by the board to be reasonably necessary for that purpose.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.b.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, prohibit the use of Trustee Allowances to provide financial support, direct or otherwise, to individuals, groups, or organizations. Require requests for financial support by individuals, groups, or organizations to be approved by the board and funded through a program other than Trustee Allowances.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.c.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, work with the Administration to more clearly define procedures related to the use and administration of Trustee Allowances.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.d.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, require trustees to seek reimbursement of expenses; do not disburse the total amount of Trustee Allowances to trustees at the beginning of the fiscal year or otherwise advance any funds to trustees.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.e.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, review and amend, as needed, the sanctions established in the Code of Conduct for violations of Trustee Allowance policies and procedures and establish a process to ensure enforcement of sanctions to appropriately address such violations.
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(OHA Board of Trustees, 5.f.) OHA Board of Trustees should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, ensure that the purpose and use of Trustee Allowances aligns and is consistent with: (a) OHA’s mission; (b) OHA’s policies and procedures; (c) trustees’ fiduciary duties; and (d) State laws.
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Regarding OHA Administration:
(OHA Administration, 1.a.) OHA Administration should, in general, require the Administration to attend regular training that includes, but is not limited to: i. Fiduciary duties and other responsibilities of trustees; ii. State Ethics Code, Chapter 84, HRS; iii. Sunshine Law, part I of Chapter 92, HRS: and iv. Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), Chapter 92F, HRS.
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(OHA Administration, 1.b.) OHA Administration should, in general, support trustees in performing their fiduciary duties and other responsibilities by, among other things, providing financial documents and other information in a timely manner as requested by individual trustees.
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(OHA Administration, 2.a.) OHA Administration should, with respect to Kūlia Initiatives, ensure that the board and the Administration adhere to and comply with the board-adopted policies and procedures for Kūlia Initiatives.
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(OHA Administration, 2.b.) OHA Administration should, with respect to Kūlia Initiatives, ensure that OHA’s use of Kūlia Initiatives aligns and is consistent with: (a) OHA’s mission; (b) OHA’s policies and procedures; (c) trustees’ fiduciary duties; and (d) State laws.
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(OHA Administration, 3.a.) OHA Administration should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, ensure each proposed use of the Fiscal Reserve is consistent with the Fiscal Reserve Guidelines and the boardstated purpose of the Fiscal Reserve.
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(OHA Administration, 3.b.) OHA Administration should, with respect to the Fiscal Reserve, for each requested use of the Fiscal Reserve, provide the board with specific information and recommendations as to whether the board’s or the Administration’s proposed use of the Fiscal Reserve is consistent with the Fiscal Reserve Guidelines and the purpose of the Fiscal Reserve. Such information may include, but is not limited to, specific financial information regarding the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund balance, projected revenue for the fiscal year, and impact to the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund resulting from the requested use of the Fiscal Reserve.
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(OHA Administration, 4.a.) OHA Administration should, with respect to CEO Sponsorships, adhere to Grants Staff recommendations regarding the Administration’s requests to fund CEO Sponsorships.
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(OHA Administration, 5.a.) OHA Administration should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, monitor and review trustees’ use of Trustee Allowances and ensure expenditures using Trustee Allowances comply with the Trustee Allowances policy.
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(OHA Administration, 5.c.) OHA Administration should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, report to the board the specific expenditures approved and reimbursed to each trustee using Trustee Allowances.
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(OHA Administration, 5.d.) OHA Administration should, with respect to Trustee Allowances, create a formal appeal process for trustees to request a second determination of whether they are entitled to reimbursement of expenses using Trustee Allowances, for instance, through staff whose regular duties do not involve review and approval of Trustee Allowances.
Full Report -- State Auditor Compliance Review -- 2015 – 2018