Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 5, 1 Mei 1985 — NACo Committee Approves Native Rights Resolutions [ARTICLE]

NACo Committee Approves Native Rights Resolutions

A National Association of Counties (NACo) committee, mefeting in Reno, Nevada, Apr. 24, approved three resolutk>ns supporting r>ative Hawaiian rights. The Public Lands Steering Committee reported the resolutions out and recommended that they be adopted during NACo's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, in mid-July. lf approved by delegates to the Orlando convention, NACo wiil mobilize its powerful lobbying machinery in support of native Hawaiian rights.

The resolutions were presented to the Public Lands Steering Committee by an ad-hoc committee appointed in March at NACo's legislative conference in Washington, D.C., and headed by Maui Councilman Abe Aiona. In addition to Aiona, ad-hoc committee members include Oahu Councilman George Akahane; Power County Idaho Commissioner Seth Neibaur; Glacier County Montana Commissioner Fred Johnson and Lake County Montana Commissioner Mike Hutchin.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairman Joseph G. Kealoha Jr., attended the Public Lands Steering Committee Meeting and provided committee members with background information.

The resolutions eall on the Congress of the United States to: 1. "Include native Hawaiians in the definition of native American and extend to native Hawaiians eligibility in all programs affected by such definition without prejudice." 2. "Establish a single definition of native Hawaiian without reference to blood quantum and to provide appropriate protection to guarantee the rights and privileges of current Hawaiian Home beneficiaries."

3. "Review the implementation of recommendations adopted by the joint Federal-State Task Force on Hawaiian Home Lands in 1983, and to initiate breach of trust or other appropriate legal action for non-eomplianee by the State of Hawaii or the U.S. Department of Interior." NACo's Public Lands Steering Committee approved the resolutions during the annual Western Interstate Program (WIR) meeting of the National Association of Counties. Hawaii delegates to the W1R conference included Council members Robert Herkes, Merle Lai, Takashi Domingo and Lorraine Jitchaku (Hawaii County); Aiona, (Maui County); and Akahane (City and County of Honolulu).