A bill authorizing a $17.5 million one-time payment to the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs for a partial settlement over ceded lands was signed into law yesterday.

Georgina Kawamura, state finance director, signed Act 178 as acting governor. Gov. Linda Lingle was returning to Hawai'i from Washington, D.C.; Lt. Gov. James Aiona was traveling to the Mainland for the graduation of one of his children and Attorney General Mark Bennett is in Washington as well, so Kawamura was acting governor yesterday.

The $17.5 million appropriation is payment for OHA's prorated portion of the public land trust from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2005. It is not meant to be a settlement of "back due" amounts but represents additional revenues not paid since 2001 that Lingle's administration agrees OHA should share.

The bill also established $15.1 million as OHA's annual payment beginning in fiscal year 2006. OHA had been receiving $10 million annually from the state.

In February, OHA's board voted 8-0 to approve acceptance of the proposed measure that was signed yesterday.

Ceded lands are the 1.4 million-plus acres of former crown and government lands held in trust by the state. The state constitution earmarks a share of revenues from the use of ceded lands for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

The new law does not address revenue sources under dispute by the Lingle administration and OHA, which include land beneath the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, the Honolulu and Hilo airports, and Duty Free Shoppers outlets throughout the state.