Interior secretary addresses convention, says it's time to assess Hawaiian homelands trust

It's time to assess the Hawaiian homelands trust and to think about where it should be when the centennial of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act arrives in eight years, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Wednesday. It's been 30 years since a federal task force addressed the topic in 1983, Jewell said while delivering the keynote address at the 12th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention. She acknowledged newspaper articles and editorials have called for greater Interior Department oversight of the Hawaiian homelands program. "We're mindful of a balance struck by Congress and a continuing need for Interior (Department) and the state to work collectively together," said Jewell, the first interior secretary to speak to a Native Hawaiian group in Hawaii in four decades. The department will work with the Hawaiian community as it develops rules for its oversight role, Jewell said...more