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Akaka Bill

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The Akaka Bill is the common name applied to legislation proposed in the United States Congress between 2000 and the present that seeks to achieve for Native Hawaiians the same federal recognition and right to self-governance that most Native American tribes possess. It takes its common name from U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, D-HI, a Native Hawaiian who is the chief proponent of the legislation.

The current version before Congress is the "Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005" (S. 147).

Contents

For

The Akaka Bill enjoys the strong support of Hawaii's all-Democratic congressional delegation, as well as that of Republican Governor Linda Lingle, who has made its passage one of her priorities. Supporters of the bill see it as the way to ensure that programs that are exclusive to Native Hawaiians, such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Kamehameha Schools, would be protected. Indeed, the bill was introduced partly in response to the February 23, 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rice v. Cayetano, which ruled that limiting participation in OHA elections to Native Hawaiians was an unconstitutional restriction on the basis of race.

Against

Opposition to the Akaka Bill comes from two sources:
  1. Those in the U.S. Congress and in Hawaii who believe that the bill is unconstitutionally race-based, and that it could mean anyone with Hawaiian blood would not be subject to the State criminal code nor have to pay any State taxes, and begin the process of secession of a single racial group from the Union.
  2. Those in the Native Hawaiian community and their supporters (or more broadly, Hawaiian nationals) who feel that the bill is inconsistent with Hawaii's history as a multi-racial independent country rather than a domestic dependent Indian tribe, and would seek to legitimize what is seen as the prolonged occupation of their country and deprive them of their right for self-determination and independence.
In 2006, the United States Commission on Civil Rights held hearings on the Akaka bill, and published a [report] recommending strongly against it.

The Commission recommends against passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (S. 147) as reported out of committee on May 16, 2005, or any other legislation that would discriminate on the basis of race or national origin and further subdivide the American people into discrete subgroups accorded varying degrees of privilege.

Akaka's statements about the bill

"Senator DANIEL AKAKA (Democrat, Hawaii): It creates a government-to-government relationship with the United States. KASTE: Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence. Sen. AKAKA: That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren." [link]

In May of 2006, Senator Akaka began a short run of daily speeches on the issue, after the USCCR report recommended against his bill. Opponents of the Akaka bill have [responded] to his daily speeches, as well as the arguments in favor made by other politicians.

See also

External links

 

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