Akaka Bill unlikely before Hawaii’s anniversary

HONOLULU - A national measure to give Native Hawaiians similar rights as American Indians could still be approved this year, but other national priorities are likely to delay action by Congress until after the 50th state's 50th anniversary in August.

Despite the support of Hawaii-born President Barack Obama, legislation restoring some of the self-governance powers Native Hawaiians lost when the islands' queen was overthrown in 1893 may have to wait a little longer.

The latest filing of the legislation came early last month, but it hasn't been scheduled for committee hearings yet as Congress deals with the economic meltdown, a Supreme Court nomination, climate change legislation, health care reform and other priorities.

"There's no question that the prospects have improved considerably," said Boyd Mossman, a trustee for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs from Maui. "We don't count our chickens, but we fully expect there will be a bill passed this year."

The so-called Akaka Bill has a long and frustrating history. Named after Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka, it was first introduced in Congress in 2000 and has been brought up every session since. It passed the House last session but failed to advance in the Senate when the Bush administration said it would divide Americans by race and ethnicity.

"The entire delegation is optimistic because we have a president from Hawaii who understands the need for the bill," said Akaka's spokesman, Jesse Broder Van Dyke. "He will sign it when it comes across his desk, but his priority is to deal with two wars and the U.S. economy."

Most of the expressed opposition to the proposal comes from the extremes: conservatives see it as giving a racial preference to Hawaiians, and Hawaiian sovereignty activists believe it would sell out their claims as an independent nation.

Some Hawaiians say passage of the Akaka Bill would further distance the islands from the international independence they enjoyed as the Hawaiian Kingdom.

''The Akaka Bill defines Native Hawaiians as indigenous to the United States, and therefore, like American Indians and Alaskan Natives, wards of a domestic dependent nation under the plenary power of the U.S. Congress. We object strongly to that,'' said sovereignty supporter Kekuni Blaisdell. ''Our people never relinquished our claims to our inherent sovereignty over our national lands.''

Backers of the measure, which include nearly all elected officials in the islands and the state agency representing Native Hawaiian interests, say the mainstream majority of Hawaiians want the Akaka Bill because it's the best chance for a realistic resolution.

"There is tremendous support in the community at large for the Akaka Bill because it does provide some measure of dignity for Hawaiians," said Beadie Kanahele Dawson, a Native Hawaiian attorney who helped draft the original Akaka Bill. "As of this point in time, when the 50th anniversary of statehood is being celebrated, it is appropriate to discuss these critical issues."

The Hawaiian government was overthrown when a group of white businessmen forced Queen Lili'uokalani to abdicate while uniformed U.S. Marines came ashore. Hawaii became a state Aug. 21, 1959.

The Akaka Bill sets up the process for a Hawaiian "nation within a nation."

Membership, elections and laws governing the entity would be negotiated after the bill passed. Roughly 400,000 people claim Native Hawaiian ancestry nationwide; more than half of them live in the islands.