Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 2, 1 February 2010 — OHA airs 2 TV shows on Akaka Bill [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA airs 2 TV shows on Akaka Bill

ByT. Ilihia Gionson Publications Editor

The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Aet, widely known as the Akaka Bill for its sponsor, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, means many things to many people. To help inform Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians about the legislation and its potential impaets, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs produced two live television shows with discussion panels, whieh aired in January and may be viewed

online at oha.org. "The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act reaffirms and expresses the policy of the United States regarding its poliheal relationship with Native Hawaiians by authorizing a process to federally recognize a reorganized Native Hawaiian governing entity," said OHA Chief Executive Officer Clyde Nāmu'o, who served as moderator for the two hourlong eall-in shows. "This is a complicated bill," he said. "We want to help both Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike to understand what this bill means, answer people's questions and

help everyone prepare for what we believe will be successful passage of this landmark legislation." The 1893 illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy makes it necessary to pass the legislation, Akaka said during a U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the bill. "The overthrow resulted in generations of Native Hawaiians being disenfranchised from their government, culture, land and their way of life," Akaka said. He added that the legislation "provides a structured process to reorganize a See IV SHBW on pagE 07

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On the air at the KITV4 studio, 0HA's CE0 Clyde Nāmu'o, host for a discussion on the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, is flanked by Professor Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and Robin Puanani Danner, President and CE0 of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. - Photo: Liza Simon

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Continued from page 03 Native Hawaiian governing entity to exercise self-government and self-determination." (A video elip of the hearing aired as part of the shows.) During OHA's live Jan. 7 broadcast on KITV4, panelist Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa, professor at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, said the measure will provide a land base where Native Hawaiians would be able to perpetuate traditional culture. In addition, Kame'eleihiwa, who supported the recent United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said the Akaka Bill is aligned with the U.N. effort requiring signatory nations to guarantee political and civil rights for their indigenous populations. In response to a viewer's question on taxpayer costs associated with the bill, panelist Miehael Kahikina, legislative chair with the Sovereign Councils of Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, said that he was more concerned about what would happen to state coffers if the Akaka Bill does not pass. "This would jeopardize at least $70 million in federal government funding for Native Hawaiians that the state currently receives," said Kahikina, a former state lawmaker. Later in the show, he added that democracy "depends on participation and the Akaka Bill gives Native Hawaiians a greater ehanee to participate." Two versions of the bill are before the U.S. Congress. The two significant differences between the House and Senate versions relate to inherent governmental powers and authorities and claims against the United States and State of Hawai'i. During OHA's second TV broadcast on Jan. 14, Hawai'i Attorney General Mark Bennett clarified his concerns with the Senate version, primarily that the bill would immediately give the Native Hawaiian Governing Entity the "inherent powers and privileges" of a native government - a concept that Bennett says is murky and hard to define. "As far as I ean tell, that term doesn't exist anywhere in existing law," he said. "We have to guess at

what that means. We don't know what these powers and authorities are that the entity is going to have immediately. I think that we have to know what (the powers) are, and we have to know, 'Is this bill saying that if the entity has property it's not subject to state regulation? Is this bill saying it's not subject to environmental regulation?' We need to know precisely what these powers are if they're going to eome into effect immediately, instead of after, negotiations." Bennett also made clear that he and the Lingle administration support the drive for Native Hawaiian independence. "Governor Lingle and I support the House version of the bill, and we support selfgovernment for Native Hawaiians," Bennett said. "The House version of the bill set up a sensible process where the governing entity would organize, it would have a Constitution, it would decide what powers it would like to exercise, and then it would sit down with the state and the United States to negotiate over its assets, its jurisdiction, what in fact its model would be. "I think that if the powers (of the Native Hawaiian Governing Entity) to start with were those of organization over those who voluntarily decide to be members of the entity ... and left state and county jurisdiction over land and property and taxing power the same until there was further legislation and further negotiations, I don't think there would be any real disputes over this bill at all." Nāmu'o laid out the urgency of reconciling differences in the bill in an expedient fashion to give the bill its best ehanee for passage. "The Hawai'i Congressional delegation, State of Hawai'i and OHA are working to find eommon ground that is most inclusive and fair for Native Hawaiians and addresses concerns raised by the state, before tloor votes are scheduled in the Senate and House of Representatives," he said. ■ Liza Simon contributed to this report Answers to viewers' questions not addressed during either of the two programs will be posted at oha.org. For information on the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009, visit nativehcrwaiians.com.

OHA CE0 Clyde Nāmu'o, right, wilh panelists from the Jan. 7 broadcast. From left are Bruss Keppeler, Miehael Kahikina, Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa and Robin Danner. - P/?o7o; LisaAsato