Title 48 — Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-73

§204 PROCEDURE FOR APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS TO HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT.

Title 48 › Chapter CHAPTER 3— - HAWAII › § 204

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When an amendment to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act is approved under section 4 of the Hawaii State Admission Act, the Chairman must, within 120 days, send the Secretary a copy of the proposed change, a short description of what it would do, and a written opinion on whether Congress must approve it. The Secretary then has 60 days to decide and must tell the Chairman and Congress the decision. If the Secretary says Congress approval is needed, the Secretary must send to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources a draft joint resolution to approve the amendment, an explanation of the change and how it helps the beneficiaries, a comparison of current law and the proposal, a recommendation about approval, and any papers received from the Chairman.

Full Legal Text

Title 48, §204

Territories and Insular Possessions — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

“(a)Not later than 120 days after a proposed amendment to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act is approved in the manner provided in section 4 of the Hawaii State Admission Act [section 4 of Pub. L. 86–3, set out above], the Chairman shall submit to the Secretary—

“(1)a copy of the proposed amendment;

“(2)the nature of the change proposed to be made by the amendment; and

“(3)an opinion regarding whether the proposed amendment requires the approval of Congress under section 4 of the Hawaii State Admission Act.

“(b)Not later than 60 days after receiving the materials required to be submitted by the Chairman pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall determine whether the proposed amendment requires the approval of Congress under section 4 of the Hawaii State Admission Act, and shall notify the Chairman and Congress of the determination of the Secretary.

“(c)If, pursuant to subsection (b), the Secretary determines that the proposed amendment requires the approval of Congress, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources [now Committee on Natural Resources] of the House of Representatives—

“(1)a draft joint resolution approving the amendment;

“(2)a description of the change made by the proposed amendment and an explanation of how the amendment advances the interests of the beneficiaries;

“(3)a comparison of the existing law (as of the date of submission of the proposed amendment) that is the subject of the amendment with the proposed amendment;

“(4)a recommendation concerning the advisability of approving the proposed amendment; and

“(5)any documentation concerning the amendments received from the Chairman.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

48 U.S.C. § 204

Title 48 — Territories and Insular Possessions

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73