Bill Text: HI HR87 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Land And Natural Resources To Convene A Makua Valley Task Force To Prepare For The Transition Of The Management Of The Makua Military Reservation From The United States Army To The State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-13 - Referred to WAL/CMV, FIN, referral sheet 21 [HR87 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-HR87-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
87 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
Requesting the Department of Land and Natural Resources to convene a Makua Valley Task Force to prepare for the transition of the management of the Makua Military Reservation from the United States Army to the State.
WHEREAS, Makua Valley on Oahu was seized by the United States military for training following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and
WHEREAS, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Portuguese families living in Makua Valley were evicted from their lands, with the promise that the displacement would be temporary and their lands would be cleaned up and returned; and
WHEREAS, instead, Makua Valley remained under the management of the United States Army and continued to be the site of decades of live-fire military training; and
WHEREAS, the Makua Military Reservation spans nearly five thousand acres and is home to over forty endangered and threatened species and dozens of sacred and cultural sites; and
WHEREAS, in December 2023, the United States Department of Defense confirmed that it would permanently end live-fire training in Makua Valley; and
WHEREAS, under the terms of a 2001 settlement, the military has not conducted live-fire training at Makua Valley since 2004; however, the court filing removed the threat that Makua would ever again be subjected to live-fire training; and
WHEREAS, management of the Makua Military Reservation will transfer from the United States Army to the State when General Lease No. S-3848 expires in 2029; and
WHEREAS, the creation of a task force would facilitate conversations necessary to prepare for the transition of the management of the Makua Military Reservation from the United States Army to the State; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to convene a Makua Valley Task Force to prepare for the transition of the management of the Makua Military Reservation from the United States Army to the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Makua Valley Task Force is requested to consist of the following members:
(1) The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, or the Chairperson's designee;
(2) A member of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the member's designee;
(3) A member of the House of Representatives, to be selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(4) A member of the Senate, to be selected by the President of the Senate; and
(5) A member of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to invite representatives of the following organizations to serve on the task force:
(1) One representative of families who were evicted from Makua Valley or whose lands in Makua Valley were condemned by the federal government;
(2) Three representatives, each representing a different non-profit organization, with expertise on Makua Valley; and
(3) A representative selected from a list provided by native Hawaiian organizations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to invite the Commanding General of the United States Army Pacific, or the Commanding General's designee, to serve as a military representative on the task force; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to elect a chairperson from among themselves; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in preparing for the transition of the management of the Makua Military Reservation from the United States Army, the task force is requested to enter into discussions with the United States Army to:
(1) Facilitate the expedient return of the Makua Military Reservation upon the expiration of the United States Army's lease;
(2) Ensure the clean-up of unexploded ordnance; and
(3) Ensure the expansion of opportunities for cultural access; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to base its plans and policies for transition on the goal of transferring the lands currently held by the United States Army under General Lease No. S-3848 to the State, which shall:
(1) Hold the lands in trust as part of the public land trust; and
(2) Transfer management and control of the lands to the sovereign native Hawaiian entity upon its recognition by the United States and the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses necessary for the performance of their duties, including travel expenses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall cease to exist six months after the August 16, 2029, expiration of the United States Army's lease for the Makua Military Reservation under General Lease No. S-3848; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Commanding Officer of the United States Army Pacific, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Executive Director of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee.
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OFFERED BY: |
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DLNR; Makua Valley Task Force; Makua Military Reservation; Transition
