Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 2011 — Senator Akaka: Hawaii's most beloved public servant [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Senator Akaka: Hawaii's most beloved public servant

/ A no'ai kakou ... I was sad- * / \ dened that after months ^^\ of thinking about his # % poliheal future, / \Senator Daniel

Akaka decided not to run for re-election in 2012 after serving in the U.S. Senate from 1990 to the present and 13 years previously in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the years, I have worked closely with Senator Akaka on important issues such as fighting for proper medical care of our Hawaii

National Guardsmen while he was the Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and I look forward to working with him over the next two years on Federal Recognition for Native Hawaiians now that he is the Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Senator Akaka serves as the best example of how a lawmaker ean get the job done with kindness and humility without having to resort to any political shenanigans or negativity. He will certainly be sorely missed in a Congress that is now more and more focused on being combative and polarizing. Senator Akaka has been our strongest advocate in Congress and in 1993, working with Senator Daniel Inouye, he passed the Apology Resolution, where the United States officially apologized for its part in the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. I believe no one ean represent the Hawaiian community as thoughtfully as Senator Akaka has and whoever prevails in 2012 will have some very big shoes to fill. Senator Akaka deserves a great big MAHALO for his lifelong service to Hawaii. There is still mueh work to be accomplished over the next two years and I look forward to working closely with Senator Akaka to get them done.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Here is an update on important Native Hawaiian bills that are working their way through the Legislature.

STATE REC0GNITI0N Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), introduced by Senator Malama Solomon, was passed out of its hnal Senate Committees and has crossed over to the House for consideration. This bill will address a long overdue formal recognition by the State of Hawaii of its indigenous people.

SB 1520, introduced by Senator Clayton Hee, also passed out of its hnal Senate Committee and has crossed over to the House. SB 1520 would establish procedures for state recognition of a first nahon government similar to what is described in the Akaka bill, but at the state level. PAST-DUE CEDED LANDS SETTLEMENT SB 984 and HB 399, part of the OHA Package of bills, seeks to have the State resolve its long overdue debt to OHA resulting from Puhlie Land Trust revenues unpaid fromNov. 7, 1978, to July 1, 2010. Both bills failed to make it out of its hnal committee before the crossover deadline and are now considered "dead" for this session. However, as anyone who has lobbied the Legislature knows, there are ways to resurrect bills from the dead. The language of either SB 984 or HB 399 could be inserted into another bill that is still alive, resurrecting it. So there is still hope of a settlement in this legislative session. Another alternative is a concurrent resolution, whieh is being considered as I write this eolumn. Aloha Ke Akua. ■ Interested in Hawaiian issues and OHA ? Please visit my web site at www. rowenaakana.org for more information or email me at rowenaa@oha.org.

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