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Senate committee
unanimously approves
native Hawaiian bill

Sen. Inouye says the bill
will not open the door to
gambling, since it is not
part of the Indian gaming act

---

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs unanimously approved a bill today that grants federal recognition to native Hawaiians.

The measure now goes to the Congressional Budget Office where it will be analyzed for cost, which takes about 10 days. Afterward, it goes to the Senate floor for a full vote.

In his opening statements today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Sen. Daniel Inouye assured his Senate colleagues the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that allows gambling on Indian lands does not apply in Hawaii, nor will it apply if the bill is approved.

There are no Indian tribes, Indian lands or Indian reservations in Hawaii that could fall under that law, Inouye said.

"Finally, all forms of gaming are criminally prohibited in the state of Hawaii -- and as we all know, under the act, the only gaming that can be conducted on Indian lands is that which is not criminally prohibited under state law," he said.

Inouye added that the streamlined Akaka bill does not take away funds from Indian program accounts, doesn't affect any Indian programs and doesn't involve the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And funding for native Hawaiian programs will always be made by separate appropriation, he said.

The Senate committee is headed by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo. Inouye serves as vice chairman. U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka remains in Hawaii under doctor's orders not to travel as he recovers from hip replacement surgery.

In a statement to the committee, Akaka said that while there was some opposition to the bill at last month's Congressional hearings in Honolulu, overall there was overwhelming support for it.

Akaka said passage of the bill is a fundamental issue -- an action needed to restore to Hawaiians their right to self-determination or self-governance that was lost when the U.S. minister and U.S. Marines assisted in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on Jan. 17, 1893.

"In addressing these issues, we have begun a process of reconciliation not only with the United States but also within the State of Hawaii," Akaka said.

Some witnesses who were to testify today included officials from the U.S. departments of Justice and Interior, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairman Clayton Hee, Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Ray Soon, state Council of Hawaiian Homes Associations official Tony Sang, as well as Lulani McKenzie and Mililani Trask, a Hawaiian activist and former OHA trustee.

Akaka spokesman Paul Cardus said amendments to the bill since the Honolulu hearings do not change the bill's intent. Basically, the bill establishes the rights of Hawaiians to organize for the common welfare and adopt organic government documents with federal recognition, he said.

The Akaka bill has yet to be heard by the House Resources Committee.

If the bill fails to pass this session, it would have to be reintroduced in 2001. The session is expected to end Oct. 6.

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