Hearings on federal resources for Native Hawaiian community

In the wake of unprecedented federal funding for the Native Hawaiian Community, Senator Brian Schatz scheduled two congressional committee hearings in the islands.

Schatz is a chairman in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which held a field hearing in Honolulu on Wednesday. Another one is set for Hilo on Thursday.

The federal government has a trust responsibility to Native Hawaiians, just like it does with American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and that trust responsibility must be met. And that’s why we brought this conversation home for the first time in more than a decade.” - Senator Brian Schatz, (D) Indian Affairs Committee Chair.

The hearings is titled “Upholding The Federal Trust Responsibility: Funding & Program Access For Innovation In The Native Hawaiian Community.”

Panelists at the hearings include representatives of Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and the Council For Native Hawaiian Advancement, as well as representatives from the medical and educational fields.

Thursday’s hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus.