The Akaka Bill is the common name applied to legislation proposed in the United States Congress between 2000 and the present that seeks to achieve for Native Hawaiians the same federal recognition and right to self-governance that most Native American tribes possess. It takes its common name from U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, D-HI, a Native Hawaiian who is the chief proponent of the legislation. Congress in Joint Session. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kanaka oiwi or kanaka māoli) are the Polynesian peoples of the Hawaiian Islands who trace their ancestry back to Marquesan and possibly Tahitian settlers (starting circa 400 CE), before the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. ... An Atsina named Assiniboin Boy Photo by Edward S. Curtis. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Daniel Kahikina Akaka (born September 11, 1924) is a U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. ...

The current version before Congress is the "Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005" (S. 147).

For

The Akaka Bill enjoys the strong support of Hawaii's all-Democratic congressional delegation, as well as that of Republican Governor Linda Lingle, who has made its passage one of her priorities. Supporters of the bill see it as the way to ensure that programs that are exclusive to Native Hawaiians, such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Kamehameha Schools, would be protected. Indeed, the bill was introduced partly in response to the February 23, 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rice v. Cayetano, which ruled that limiting participation in OHA elections to Native Hawaiians was an unconstitutional restriction on the basis of race. The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Linda Lingle (born Linda Cutter June 4, 1953) has been Governor of Hawaii since being sworn in on December 2, 2002. ... The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, also popularly known by its acronym OHA, is a semi-autonomous entity of the state of Hawaii charged with the administration of 1. ... Name Kamehameha Schools Address 567 South King Street, Suite 200 Town Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Established 1887 Community Urban Type Independent Primary and Secondary Religion Protestant Students Coeducational Grades Preschool to 12 Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges District None Subdistrict None Nickname Warriors Mascot Warrior Colors Blue and White... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Rice v. ...

Against

Opposition to the Akaka Bill comes from two sources:

1. Those in the U.S. Congress and in Hawaii who believe that the bill is unconstitutionally race-based, and that it could mean anyone with Hawaiian blood would not be subject to the State criminal code nor have to pay any State taxes, and begin the process of secession of a single racial group from the Union.
2. Those in the Native Hawaiian community and their supporters (or more broadly, Hawaiian nationals) who feel that the bill is inconsistent with Hawaii's history as a multi-racial independent country rather than a domestic dependent Indian tribe, and would seek to legitimize what is seen as the prolonged occupation of their country and deprive them of their right for self-determination and independence.

In 2006, the United States Commission on Civil Rights held hearings on the Akaka bill, and published a report recommending strongly against it. The Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) is an independent federal agency of the United States government. ...

The Commission recommends against passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (S. 147) as reported out of committee on May 16, 2005, or any other legislation that would discriminate on the basis of race or national origin and further subdivide the American people into discrete subgroups accorded varying degrees of privilege.

Akaka's statements about the bill

"Senator DANIEL AKAKA (Democrat, Hawaii): It creates a government-to-government relationship with the United States. KASTE: Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence. Sen. AKAKA: That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren." [1]

In May of 2006, Senator Akaka began a short run of daily speeches on the issue, after the USCCR report recommended against his bill. Opponents of the Akaka bill have responded to his daily speeches, as well as the arguments in favor made by other politicians.

See also

• Hawaiian sovereignty movement

Native Hawaiians gather at ʻIolani Palace on August 12, 1998 to remember the centennial anniversary of the American annexation of Hawaiʻi. ...

External links

• Akaka Bill, S. 147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005. Website of U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii).
• Correcting Akaka, Informational page presented by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
• Hawaii Reporter, Anti-Akaka Bill article written by U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona).
• E Pluribus Unum? Not in Hawaii Anti-Akaka Bill article written by former senators for Washington and Colorado.
• StopAkaka.com Website by Native Hawaiians against the Akaka Bill.
• Hawaiian Independence Blog Following the bill with links to news articles and commentary since 2003.
• CNHA Exposed Research and articles critical of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and their advocacy of the Akaka bill.