Legislature gets Gov. Linda Lingle will not directly make a $10.3 million payment to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as promised during her campaign, but instead will ask the 2003 Legislature to quickly approve a request for payment.
OHA payment issue
Lingle had promised to pay
$10.3 million upon getting electedBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comOHA asked last week for immediate payment of the money that is undisputed revenue from ceded lands. In the closing days of the November campaign, Lingle said she would transfer the money to OHA, and earlier this month, her spokesman, Lenny Klompus said, "She is going to live up to that agreement."
Yesterday, during a meeting with state House Democrats, Lingle said she would submit a bill to the Legislature asking for funds and immediate payment.
After the one-hour meeting at the state Capitol, Lingle said she would comply with House Democrats' insistence that she submit legislation. She said she wanted to show cooperation between a Republican governor and a Democratic Legislature.
"Their feeling is that it is their prerogative, and I said in the spirit of cooperation, 'Why don't we leave it at that,' and we will make it one of our first requests. ... It will be separate from everything else," Lingle said.
House Speaker Calvin Say added that he did not think Lingle had a choice.
"The Legislature does the appropriations; it has to be part of the financial plan just like any other governor," Say said.
By law OHA is funded by revenues generated on ceded or public-trust lands.
The money OHA wants covers the period from July 2001 to September 2002 and is referred to as undisputed because it does not include controversial unpaid revenue from community hospitals, state affordable housing and duty-free concession leases on ceded lands.
During a debate sponsored by OHA in November, Lingle's Democratic opponent, former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, said that while she supported the ceded-land payment, it would have to go through the Legislature.
Hirono insisted that the funds could not be passed from the governor to OHA without legislative approval.
Lingle said in November and again yesterday that she thought the governor could make the payment because the state had a legal obligation to turn over the money.
Lingle said yesterday that she "wanted to be respectful of their prerogative" and would allow the matter to be handled by the Legislature. But, she added, she expected the issue to be "moot very shortly."
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
State of Hawaii
