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Vote on Akaka Bill should
not be cast aside forever

THE ISSUE A Senate vote on the Akaka Bill has been postponed indefinitely while Congress attends to the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims.

HAWAIIAN recognition has been in line for a Senate vote for years, stopped at the door by use of the institution's archaic protocol. The latest barrier is the most understandable -- the Senate's sudden attention to legislation aimed at providing relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. But by no means should the Akaka Bill for Hawaiian recognition be put off beyond October.

Sen. Jon Kyl put a hold on the bill in the last Congress under a rule that allows a single senator to anonymously keep a measure from reaching the Senate floor. When Senators Akaka and Inouye threatened to attach Hawaiian recognition to a bill being pushed by Kyl, the Arizona Republican and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist agreed to allow a vote on the Akaka Bill by Aug. 7 of this year.

A day in mid-July was agreed upon, but several other opponents unexpectedly stood in Kyl's place. A super-majority cloture vote is needed to surpass such opposition and allow full consideration of the bill and amendments to go forward.

Before Congress adjourned for its August recess, Frist had scheduled the vote on the Akaka Bill to be taken on Tuesday. The hurricane naturally became the priority of senators from the area it struck, and Akaka had concerns that some might have decided to delay their return to Washington to attend to the needs of their constituents. A successful cloture requires affirmative votes by 60 senators -- not just three-fifths of those present.

Upon returning to Washington, however, Frist took the vote off the Senate calendar, which is now filled with legislation in response to the hurricane. Other legislation cast aside temporarily in the Senate includes measures to eliminate the inheritance tax and overhaul Social Security.

The Judiciary Committee will begin hearings Monday on John Roberts Jr.'s nomination to be chief justice. That issue is expected to reach the Senate floor after President Bush decides whom to nominate for the court's second vacancy.

Like much of the congressional activity relating to Hurricane Katrina, those discussions will take place during committee hearings and should not interfere with Senate floor actions. Tuesday's planned vote on the Akaka Bill was scheduled for the evening to avoid conflicts.

Hawaii's senators and Governor Lingle, who had traveled to Washington this week to lobby for the bill, are making good use of the extra time to continue educating senators about the bill. Lingle is assuring them that the notion of the bill leading to Hawaii's secession from the union is absurd; indeed, a fringe element of the Hawaiian community suggests the legislation will impede their goal of secession.

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