U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) announced today that the Hawaii Congressional Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues will create working groups to facilitate the clarification of the United States' relationship with Native Hawaiians and assist the delegation's objective of drafting and introducing federal legislation to address outstanding issues. [See attached action plan.]
The five working groups will represent the Native Hawaiian community; White House and Federal officials from agencies dealing with Native Hawaiians, including those currently working on the reconciliation process; Members of Congress from outside Hawaii, including the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus; State officials representing the Governor, Hawaii State Legislature, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), and Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA); and Native American community representatives and constitutional scholars.
Hawaii's Congressional delegation created a task force on Native Hawaiian issues earlier this month. The purpose of the task force is to address Native Hawaiian issues, and its first priority is to elucidate the United States' relationship with Native Hawaiians following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rice v. Cayetano, which struck down Hawaii's voting structure for the election of Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees. The task force will work closely with the working groups to expedite and streamline the consultative process as the task force pursues legislation to address the issues of status and self-determination.
"The working group configuration provides for productive involvement and input from the Native Hawaiian community, state, and federal government in a consolidated time frame," Akaka said. "It is imperative that our legislation represent the mana'o of the community. Progress on the issues of political status and self-determination requires cooperation and understanding of the different approaches advocated in our community. We need to listen to one another as we move forward. Our timetable is ambitious, and community support and interest will help shape our proposal."
*******************************************************
Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues
Purpose: Hawaii's Congressional delegation created a task force on Native Hawaiian issues on Thursday, March 9, 2000. Senator Daniel K. Akaka chairs the task force. The goal of the task force is to clarify the relationship between the United States and Native Hawaiians, Hawaii's indigenous peoples.
Working Groups: The Task Force intends to consult with as many individuals as possible in addressing Native Hawaiian issues. To gain maximum advantage of the time remaining during this session of the 106th Congress, working groups will be created in the following areas:
1. Native Hawaiian Community
2. White House and Federal Officials
3. Congressional members and caucuses
4. State Officials 5. Native American community and constitutional scholars
Each working group will communicate with the task force as well as with the other working groups. Each working group will be responsible for working within their specific areas. For example, the Native Hawaiian Community working group will be responsible for sharing information with the Native Hawaiian community and providing the task force with the views of the community.
Working group members are intended to represent a broad spectrum at national, state and local levels. For this reason, members of working groups will be selected based on specific criteria.
The Native Hawaiian Working group will be composed of individuals who are from a cross section of the Native Hawaiian community. The task force wants to ensure that different ages, disciplines, islands, and views are represented. The task force will also consider the members' leadership roles in being able to share information and consult with all aspects of the Native Hawaiian community. Consultation and involvement of the Native Hawaiian community in this process is a top priority. As such, the Native Hawaiian Community Working Group will play an integral role in advising the task force.
