Akaka bill foes
rally for hearings

They say the amended bill is
very different and needs
more public discussion

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

LAST YEAR, Kailua resident Charles L. Isaacs Jr. openly supported congressional legislation that would lead to federal recognition of native Hawaiians.

This year, however, he is not so sure. Isaacs said the amended Akaka bill is so radically different from the original that Hawaiians like himself need to be given a chance to testify on those changes.

He has even put up a Web site, stopakaka.org, in the hope of pressuring Hawaii's congressional delegation to hold public hearings on this new version and to stop the perception that all Hawaiians support it.

"There is a cardinal change, a profound, paramount change, and that makes it a really different bill," said Isaacs, a former businessman and now a student at Hawaii Pacific University. "And there's no effort to explain to the people what the changes mean."

Those who oppose the amended bill are expected to gather at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the King Kalakaua statue in Waikiki for a petition drive to raise awareness about opposition to the bill and to call for local public hearings on it again.

Currently, the Akaka bill is before the House and Senate, which are in recess this month. Hawaii's congressional delegation has said it expects to approve the bill sometime in September. Many expect passage to occur quickly, with little or no debate on the floor.

Last August, the delegation held joint congressional committee hearings in Honolulu on the measure, but planned neighbor island hearings were canceled because U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka could not travel due to hip surgery.

Most of the testimony received at the hearings focused on the process to restore a Hawaiian government.

The original bill spelled out an objective but controversial process on how it was to occur, raising concern from Hawaiians involved in other efforts toward self-determination.

The un-amended bill also directly involved the U.S. Department of Justice, which had sided with Hawaiians in the Rice vs. Cayetano case and is viewed as an ally for Hawaiians.

Both requirements were removed in the amended bill that was introduced in April.

The new version also made clear that federal recognition for Hawaiians does not affect federal funding for American Indian programs and cannot lead to gambling in Hawaii under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The delegation has said the amended bill reflects the concerns raised in testimony from the hearings, and did not schedule any other hearings on the amendments. But opponents say this is in fact a new bill that needs public hearings.

"It's obvious the bill is on the fast track," said activist Lela Hubbard, who organized her own Waikiki petition drive a few weeks ago.

Hubbard said the Hawaiian community is split on the measure, and there has been no real education on the impact of the amended version.

Realistically, she said, it may be too late to affect change, but she said the bill, if it becomes law, could get challenged in court because she believes it is unconstitutional.

Even if approved by Congress, the measure must gain support from the Bush administration, which will be tough for Hawaii's all-Democratic delegation.

Fran Orian of the newly formed Hawaiian Independence Allegiance said the petition drive may become a weekly action if needed.

"People are very serious about getting this opposition into the public record," Orian said.