The 2022 Hawaii Legislative Session will be remembered for its historic package of bills benefiting Native Hawaiians.

In all, the Legislature approved more than a BILLION dollars in total funding for Native Hawaiian programs, headlined by $600 million to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to pursue a multi-pronged approach to eliminating its waitlist and $335 million to settle the Kalima lawsuit.

Bills passed would also provide $38 million to address staffing, recruitment and training to provide Hawaiian language immersion for students, as well as fund classroom renovations; remove some of the hurdles for Mahi’ai to obtain water for traditional and customary kalo cultivation, and offer a taro cultivation tax exemption; and grant $881,600 to Halau Ke’alaokamaile to construct a Cultural Resource Training Center in Pi’iholo, Makawao, to create a permanent physical home for the community to learn, honor and embody the legacy of Hawaiian knowledge.

There are many additional important projects and programs that will benefit from state lawmakers’ efforts this year.

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Chief Executive Officer Kuhio Lewis said, “Decades from now, we will look back on the 2022 Legislative Session as a watershed year for Native Hawaiians. With more than a billion dollars approved for Native Hawaiian programs — the most the State of Hawaii has ever provided to Native Hawaiians in a single year — this is the kind of funding that will result in generational and systemic change for our people.

“Moreover, the Legislature was able to pass a bill that will dramatically improve the state’s management of Mauna Kea, which has been one of the most pressing issues for our people for decades. A legislative session that so meaningfully addresses historical Native Hawaiian injustices could only have been accomplished with courageous leadership.”

The next step for the Native Hawaiian community is to urge Gov. David Ige to sign these bills into law.