Governor David Ige has signed a bill that will help fund housing for Native Hawaiians.
House Bill 2511 provides $600 million to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which gives housing and land to native Hawaiians, KHON 2 reports.
Currently, 28,000 eligible Native Hawaiians are on the waitlist for DHHL land, KITV reports. The aim of House Bill 2511 is to eliminate that list.
“The appropriation of $600 million in House Bill 2511 is a huge step forward, but clearly not fulfilling all the requirements of the Hawaiian Homestead Act,” Ige said at the bill signing ceremony, according to KITV. “I’m proud of all the progress we’ve made at DHHL over the last several years. As governor, we have moved forward in critical ways to provide beneficiaries with more options.”
Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. said that the bill will allow the DHHL to expedite the process of building homesteads and housing units for native Hawaiians throughout the state, Maui Now reports.
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“These resources offer us an aggressive way forward. I thank the legislature for their bold decision making and Gov. Ige for his acknowledgment and support of the promises made to native Hawaiians,” Ailā told Maui Now.
According to KITV, DHHL believes it would take another $4 to 6 billion to eliminate the waitlist.
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