Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 2, 1 February 2007 — Let Congress know that the time has come to pass the Akaka Bill [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Let Congress know that the time has come to pass the Akaka Bill

Aloha e nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino, nā pulapula a Hāloa, mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau, a puni ke ao mālamalama. The 1 10th Congress of the United States eonvened onMonday, Jan. 8, 2007. OnWednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, S. 310 and H.R. 505, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007, were introduced. In his remarks on the floor of the Senate, Hawai'i Sen. Daniel Akaka noted, "The bill whieh is of great importance to the people of Hawai'i establishes a process to extend the federal policy of self-governance and self-determination to Hawai'i's indigenous people. The bill provides parity in federal policies that empower our country's other indigenous peoples, Ameiiean Indians and Alaska Natives, to participate in a government-to-government relationship with the United States. The Hawai'i congressional delegation has devoted mueh time and careful consideration in crafting this legislation. When I first started this process in 1999, our congressional delegation created five working groups to assist in drafting the legislation. The working groups were composed of individuals from the Native Hawaiian eommunity, the State of Hawai'i, the federal government, Indian Country, Members of Congress and experts in constitutional law." In 1993, six years previous to the working groups, the Hawai'i Legislature established the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission (HSAC), whieh the 1994 Legislature renamed the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council (HSEC). HSEC's 1996 report notes, "that Commission went throughout the island to hear directly from the Native Hawaiian people. The people proposed an immediate process to begin redress and to form a governmental stmcture. They suggested an iniīial plebiscite question to determine if we should hold a eonvention of elected delegates to propose a form of Hawaiian government. Native Hawaiians of any citizenship or residence were eligible to register in the Native Hawaiian vote. In January 1995, Gov. Ben Cayetano froze funds for many state-funded programs, including the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council. In the spring of 1995, Gov. Cayetano refused to release funds that the Legislature appropriated to hold the Native Hawaiian vote. In July 1996, 81,598

ballots were sent throughout the world asking, "Shall the Hawaiian people elect delegates to propose a Native Hawaiian government?" In the final tally as confirmed by the League of Women Voters, 30,423 ballots were counted (yes/no votes combined). 22,294 or 73.28 percent voted "yes" to the question. 8,129 (26.72 percent) voted "no" to the question. Without continued, consistent funding, past the eleelion of delegates and their convening in convention, the non-profit Hā Hawai'i was not able to complete the HSEC plan to bring about decision-making on a final proposed government structure, the significant task that remains incomplete to this date. The work of the HSAC, the HSEC and the non-profit Hā Hawai'i took plaee before the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2000 on Rice v. Cayetano; the federal court mlings in Patrick Barrett v. State of Hawai'i (Office of Hawaiian Affairs), John Carroll v. State of Hawai'i (Office of Hawaiian Affairs); andbeforeArafa(fe' v. Lingle (theArakaki IIcase targeting DHHL and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs); and the Mohica-Cummings and the Doe v. Kamehameha cases. In August 2000, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the House Committee on Resources held joint filed hearing for five days on draft legislation, a product of the working groups established in 1999. The U.S. House passed the bill in the 106th Congress, the Senate failed to take action. As Akaka notes, "the bill was subsequently considered in the 107th, 108th and 109th Congresses," favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and the House versions were also favorably report by the House Committee on Resources from the 106- 108th Congress. The 1 1 0th Congress must complete the job and send the legislation to President Bush. Residents in all 50 states, Native Hawaiians and all who support passage of this legislation must now do the scorecard of your state's U.S. Senate and House delegation. First step, eonfirm a "yes" vote from your senators. In June 2006, both of the senators from eaeh of the delegations of Alahama, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah; and, at least one senator from eaeh of the delegations of Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming voted "no" on cloture. In 2007, make sure the two senators from your state vote "yes." Second, ensure that your U.S. representatives do the same. Delay is not an option, nor is failure. 27/48 M

LEO 'ELELE ■ TRU STEE MESSAGES

Haunani Apuliuna, MSW Chairpersūn, TrustEE, At-large