"Rumors of the death of the Akaka Bill have been highly exaggerated.

Of course, in Hawaii, where the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is proceeding with its plan to create a “roll” of Native Hawaiians to be part of an eventual Reorganization (as envisioned in various ways in the different iterations of the Akaka Bill, or Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act), this is not exactly a surprise.

But in Washington, DC, which should be long inured to backdoors dealing and “hidden” legislation, there was still some surprise when it was discovered that Senator Dan Inouye had added an Akaka Bill-like provision to an appropriations bill. Specifically, Section 420 of the proposed draft of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill would grant the Secretary of the Interior authority to recognize Native Hawaiians as a federal Indian tribe. This particular version of the Akaka Bill has been called, “even more radical,” than previous efforts, as it lacks reference to future Congressional or state action and contains none of the compromises and limits of earlier versions."

Get the Story:
Malia Hill: Newest Akaka Bill Effort Highlights Need for “Sunlight” in Politics (The Hawaii Reporter 10/26)

Related Stories:
Native Hawaiian recognition put in Interior appropriations (10/25)