§674-1 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish a process under which individual beneficiaries under the Hawaiian home lands trust may resolve claims for actual damages arising out of or resulting from a breach of trust, which occurred between August 21, 1959, and June 30, 1988, and was caused by an act or omission of an employee of the State in the management and disposition of trust resources:

(1) By establishing a Hawaiian home lands trust individual claims review panel which shall:

(A) Receive, review, and evaluate the merits of an individual beneficiary's claim;

(B) Render findings and issue an advisory opinion regarding the merits of each claim filed with the panel, including an estimate of the probable award of actual damages or recommended corrective action that may be implemented to resolve each claim;

(C) Prepare and transmit a report to the governor and legislature, at least twenty days prior to the convening of each regular legislative session, and a final report, at least twenty days prior to the convening of the 1997 regular legislative session, on the activities of the panel including a summary of each claim brought before the panel, the panel's findings and advisory opinion regarding the merits of each claim, and an estimate of the probable compensation or any recommended corrective action for legislative action;

(D) Disburse any compensation awarded by the legislature in regular session or undertake other actions as provided by law which are acceptable to a claimant; and

(2) By providing an individual beneficiary claimant the right to bring an action to recover actual damages for a breach of trust, in the circuit courts of the State of Hawaii, if the action taken by the legislature in regular session on each claim brought before the panel is not acceptable to an individual beneficiary claimant. [L 1991, c 323, pt of §1; am L 1993, c 351, §1]