[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         95TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, July 9, 2016, marked the 95th anniversary 
of the enactment of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, legislation that 
has changed the lives of thousands of native Hawaiians in the State of 
Hawaii.
  This legislation was made possible by the vision of Prince Jonah 
Kuhio Kalanianaole.
  After the annexation of Hawaii, Prince Kuhio continued to serve his 
people as Hawaii's second delegate in Congress.
  When Prince Kuhio took office in 1902, he was determined to improve 
the lives of native Hawaiians. Although he served as a nonvoting 
delegate, he championed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to create a 
trust of nearly 200,000 acres of land that previously belonged to the 
monarchs of the Hawaiian Kingdom. By setting aside this land, Congress 
intended to ensure the livelihood of native Hawaiians, whose population 
had been reduced from as many as, according to some estimates, 800,000 
prior to 1778 to a little over 20,000 by 1920.
  In a letter that Prince Kuhio circulated to the Senate in 1920, he 
shared the results of an extensive investigation and survey that noted 
the exceedingly high mortality rate of native Hawaiians. The survey 
justified the need to return native Hawaiians to the land, to reconnect 
with their sense of place, and elevate their well-being by providing 
stable housing and opportunities to improve their livelihood. Prince 
Kuhio shepherded the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act through both the 
House and Senate, and President Warren Harding signed the bill into law 
on July 9, 1921.
  In 1924, the first homestead in Kalamaula on the island of Molokai 
became home to 42 Native Hawaiians who began harvesting vegetables and 
raising animals to sell at local markets.
  Today nearly 10,000 Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and their families 
live on agricultural, pastoral, or residential homestead lots in over 
60 communities across Hawaii.
  With Hawaii's admission into the Union in 1959, the State of Hawaii 
was tasked with administering the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, a 
responsibility primarily led by the State's Department of Hawaiian Home 
Lands. At the Federal level, Congress has continued to live up to its 
commitments to the Hawaiian community, first established by the HHCA, 
through continued funding for programs focused on planning, 
development, housing construction, and home loan programs to support 
the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in its mission, as well as home 
loans and guarantees to support Hawaiian Homes beneficiaries.
  On the 95th anniversary of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, we 
recognize and thank Prince Kuhio for his vision and sincere aloha for 
the well-being of Native Hawaiians.
  The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act has made a difference in thousands 
of lives and set the foundation for acknowledging the trust 
relationship between the Native Hawaiian community and the Federal 
Government. Today the Federal Government continues this trust 
relationship by providing funds to support housing, health care, 
education, and other resources for the benefit of the Native Hawaiian 
community.
  However, there is still much to be done to assist Hawaii's indigenous 
population. I will continue to work with Congress, the executive 
branch, the State of Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiian community to not 
only safeguard Prince Kuhio's landmark legislation and legacy, but to 
ensure it, and the community he worked so hard to assist, will continue 
to thrive.

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