Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 12, 1 December 2015 — COMMENT ON THE DOI RULE [ARTICLE]

COMMENT ON THE DOI RULE

Community input will be accepted thru December By Ka Wai Ola Staff ANative Hawaiian gov-ernment-to-government relationship with the U.S. could provide a platform where the lāhui could be heard - as a governing body - representatives of the lāhui could be taken more seriously than by an organization. This is an option a Department of the Interior Rule proposes. The department will be accepting eomments on the proposed rule until December 30, 2015.

In November, Hawaiian eleetions were held to select delegates to the Native Hawaiian convention, where it will be decided whether or not to create organic documents for a governing entity. The proposed federal rule provides the ophon to that new Hawaiian governing entity to choose or decline a government-to-govemment relationship with the federal government. Here is the DOI summary of the Rule: The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is proposing an administrative rule to facilitate the reestablishment of a formal government-to-govern m en t relationship with the Native Hawaiian community to more effectively implement the special poliūeal anel trust relationship that Congress has established betn'een that community and the United States. The proposed rule does not attempt to reorganize a

Native Hawaiian government or draft its constitution, nor does it dictate the form or structure of that government. Rather, the proposed rule wouhl establish an administrative procedure and criteria thatthe Secretary wouhl use ifthe Native Hawaiian community forms a unified government that then seeks aformal government-to-government relationship with the United States. Consistentwith the Federal policy of indigenous self-determination and Native self-governance, the Native Hawaiian community itselfwould determine whether and how to reorganize its government, Supplementary information to the proposed rule ean be found at doi.gov/ohr. For the latest updates on how the rule ean strengthen opportunities for the lāhui and/or to show your support of the rule visit www.oha. org/DOI. ■

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