Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 6, 1 June 2011 — Senator Akaka reflects on his remaining term [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Senator Akaka reflects on his remaining term

By Cheryl Corbiell On March 2, U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka announced his retirement when his tenn expires in Ianuary 2013. However, the hard-working Senator has ambitious plans. "One of the best things about announcing my retirement is that I no longer have to spend my time on pohtics or fundraising. I ean focus full time on my goals in Congress," the Senator said by e-mail. His plans were temporarily sidetracked when the 86-year-old Senator slipped in his home in Virginia and broke two ribs. "I thank God that

I landed on my side, and I was able to return to work within a week," said Senator Akaka. But the Senator with the heart of an educator refuses to fade into retirement. "This year I am doing something in Congress I never had the opportunity to do before, and that is Chair the Indian Affairs Coimnittee," said SenatorAkaka, who has served on the committee for his entire Senate career. "First, we are educating our colleagues who do not serve on the eommihee to make indigenous issues a priority. As Hawai'i residents know, when you represent the concerns and interests of a small diverse populahon, education is key." Senator Akaka acknowledges he doesn't win

all fights but is proud he has the opportunity to help people by speaking up for, and in some cases fighting for, their best interests in the Capitol. "Obviously when you spend 35 years in Congress there are some fights that you win, and some that you keep fighting because if it was worth your effort when you started, then it should be worth it to continue," he said. As the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry, Senator Akaka continues to educate colleagues about the Native Hawaiian Goveinment Reorganization Act. In April, the measure, commonly referred to as the Akaka bill, was approved by the Indian Affairs Coimnittee. The coimnittee's next step is to file a report and schedule a debate before the full Senate. Every day Senator Akaka reminds himself of his goal for the bill's passage by glancing at a plaque hanging in his Senate office with a copy of the Apology Resolution signed by President Bill Clinton and a picture of the signing. "The Apology Resolution is a significant benchmark in the relationship between the federal goveinment and the Native Hawaiian conmiunity. So there is still mueh to be done, but I look forward to continuing to work on this," he said. Another legislative priority is Hawaiian education. "Native Hawaiian education is a focus for me, and working with the other Dan (Inouye), we have worked to ensure funding at the federal level. As a result, we have seen great progress in the area marked by the growing successes of Hawaiian iimnersion schools coupled with more Native Hawaiians succeeding in the public and private school systems in Hawai'i," said Senator Akaka, a fonner high school teacher and principal who has a master's degree in education. The Senator also continues to support proj ects to preserve significant sites. "I have worked with loeal conservation advocates to preserve historic and natural sites so that they survive to teach future generations the rich cultural traditions of Hawai'i and good stewardship of these islands we eall home. From efforts to save important sites, such as restoring 'Ai'ōpio fish trap on the Big Island to educating the public about coral reefs to aid in preservation at the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center at the Waikīkl Aquarium, all of us in Hawai'i benefit from these unique sites," he said. Yet another legislative arena is assisting military personnel and veterans' benefits.

Although Senator Akaka voted against invading Iraq in October 2002, he assists and supports military personnel. "I dedicated myself to our kuleana of caring for those who served. That responsibility includes providing the best equipment and training to assure military success and also providing the proper medical care for the brave men and women who still feel the effects, physically and mentally, of the sacrifices they made for a decision made by Congress. This effort will need to continue long after I retire," he said. Always a gentleman and realist, Senator Akaka recently commended the tenacity of the intelligence and military operations to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, but used this historic moment to educate the military strategists about stereotypes, including the fact that using the word Geronimo as a code word for bin Laden was insulting to an American ethnic group. Increasing awareness about Hawaiian history is a top priority for the Senator. For example, the statue of Kamehameha I in the U.S. Capitol onee stood in an obscure corner of Statuary Hall. Today the Senator is proud to see the statue featured prominently in Emancipation Hall in the new Capitol Visitor Center, whieh every visitor passes through to enter the Capitol. "Raising national awareness is important to working toward parity for Native Hawaiians, and throughout my life I have tried to spread the history and culture of Hawai'i across the country," he said. Time is ticking away for one last educational challenge, energy sources. "We must become more efficient - that is, to do more with less, and we must make use of a variety of cleaner energy sources," he said. "That is why I have authored laws that promote hydrogen fuel cells, spurred the establishment of a national Marine Renewable Energy Center at the University of Hawai'i, and advanced sugarcane-to-ethanol technology," he said. He wishes for more time because consensusbuilding takes time. "Work will never be finished, but I am doing as mueh as I ean before retirement," said Senator Akaka, who sits on five Senate committees, three subcommittees and is a member of 25 caucuses. "So I don't expect to rest mueh until 2013." ■ Cheryī Corbiell is an Instructor at the University ofHawai 'i Maui College-Moloka 'i andareading tutor at Kaunakakai Elementary School.

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As Chairman of the Senate lndian Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. ūaniel Akaka says he and other committee members are educating their Senate colleagues "to make indigenous issues a priority." - Photo: Courtesy ofthe Office of Senator Akaka