Bill to recognize Native Hawaiians moves to Senate floor
By Brooke Donald/AP
Over a hundred years ago, the U.S. government stole Hawaii from its people. With increasing recognition of that fact, many lawmakers are now pushing for recognition of Native Hawaiians.
In the most recent attempt, a bill sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii was sent to the Senate floor on July 24. The legislation, however, would not establish entitlements or special treatment for Native Hawaiians based on race, Akaka said, but rather “focuses on the political relationship.”
The legislation would define the political status of those descended from the islands’ original inhabitants, affecting about 200,000 people. It would also create an office within the Interior Department to focus on issues affecting the descendants and serve as a liaison between them and the federal government. An interagency coordinating group to monitor Native Hawaiian policies would also be created.
The bill suggests the creation of a framework to recognize a “government-to-government” relationship with a governing body similar to the relationship enjoyed by 556 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan tribes.
Last year, the bill faced an uphill battle in the Senate as critics expressed concerns about how it would affect American Indian programs. Some Native Hawaiians had said the measure gives the federal government too much of a role in their affairs.
This year’s bill differs from last year’s in that the process of recognition would be guided primarily by Native Hawaiians, instead of Congress.
The bill, and its companion in the House, were originally offered last year after the Supreme Court ruling struck down the state’s Hawaiians-only restriction for voting in Office of Hawaiian Affairs elections. Hawaiian leaders were concerned that the ruling would be the basis for future court rulings, dismantling more than 160 federal and state programs benefiting Hawaiians.
The House version passed the Resources Committee in May.
Language, Health Bills
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved two other bills: one to help preserve American Indian languages and another to reauthorize several health programs for Native Hawaiians. Companion legislation for the bills has been introduced in the House.
The language bill would authorize the development of grant-funded “language survival schools,” where children would be taught in English and their native language.
The bill would also create language support centers at universities in Hawaii and Alaska to encourage communication, cooperation, and educational exchange among native language schools and instructors.
The health legislation reauthorizes the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act of 1988. The bill would support community-based initiatives and traditional holistic approaches to health and well-being.
According to the bill, Native Hawaiians are more susceptible to certain forms of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and asthma than other Hawaiians. The bill would create a 21-member bipartisan commission, including eight members of Congress, to study and report to Congress on the health care needs of Native Hawaiians. |
