HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION URGES INTERIOR DEPARTMENT TO CONSULT BENEFICIARIES AND DHHL ON PROPOSED FEDERAL RULES
HHC concerned rules attempt to expand authority beyond appropriate federal oversight
News Release from DHHL, June 26, 2015
KAPOLEI, OʻAHU – The Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) is calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to consult with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and the beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust regarding federal rules proposed in May 2015.
In a Commission vote last week in Kapolei, the HHC passed a resolution urging the Interior Department extend its July 13, 2015, deadline for public comment to allow sufficient time for beneficiary comment and consultation with the DHHL regarding the proposed rules.
The rules proposed by the Interior Department seek to clarify the processes for approval of amendments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and proposed land exchanges involving Hawaiian home lands; processes the HHC believes are already set forth, with sufficient detail, in the Hawaiʻi Statehood Admission Act and the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act.
While the Commission is mindful of the oversight authority granted the Secretary of the Interior under the 1995 Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act, the HHC is concerned the proposed rules attempt to expand that authority beyond the boundaries that were set for appropriate oversight, and looks forward to continued consultation and dialogue.
For more information or to read the HHC resolution, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov.
# # #
LINK: Download a PDF version of the HHC Resolution
Background: Draft DoI Rules Create Path for Fake Indian Tribe to Take Over DHHL
|