Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 7, 1 July 1986 — Standing United [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Standing United

By Larry Kamakawiwo'ole Federal Liaison Officer

"I have no delusions about the controuersial nature ojthis bill; nor do I perceiue any other course of action auailahle to the Hawaiian people that that of bringing their plight to the pubHc arena to press for legislation and to assert their Natiue Ameriean status. . . lt u>as neuer the intent of this nor any other b ill that the Hawaiian people profit at the expense ofother needy peoples. . Senator Daniel K. /nouye of Hawai'i. "[OHA] beSeve[s] that its important to increase funding appropriations for these acts 6y at least the percentage specified in [S. 830] so that Naliue Hawanans are not takingfrom what is already auailahle to other Natiue Americans." Card Kealoha, Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affārs. . ,the inclusionof Hawaiian natiuesinthelegislationshould not erode from existing Indian programs, nor reduce funds allocated for existing programs. " Winona Rubin, President and Chief Executiue Officer ofALU LIKE, ine. ". . ,it is important that funding levels be increased proportionately so that the inclusion of Natiue Hawaiians in no way reduce s the amount of funding available for other Naliue American groups who haue many and similar needs. " Myron Thompson, Trustee of Bishop Estate/Kamehameha Schools. The foregoing statements were made at a hearing held June 12 before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs of the United States Senate, concerning Senate Bill 830 ("S. 830"), a bill to amend the lndian Education Act and other acts relating to Indian education in order to make Native Hawaiians eligible for programs under those acts. Senator Inouye, a member of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, chaired the hearing. In addition to our Native Hawaiian leaders, Hawai'i's congressional delegation testified in strong support of S. 830. Furthermore, OHA, ALU LIKE, and the Bishop Estate/Kamehameha Schools respondedin the affirmative concerning three key issues facingNative Hawaiian !egislation on Capitol Hill: 1) Whether Native Hawaiians should be considered as Native Americans; 2) Whether there is a special historical and legal relationship between the United States Government and the Native Hawaiian people; and 3) whether the funding level of Native American or lndian legislation should be increased proportionately so that the inclusion of Native Hawaiians does not reduce the amount of existing funds allocated for other Native American groups. S. 2243, a bill introduced by Senator lnouye and referred to and passed by the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, presents a fourth issue: whether the definition of the term "Native Hawaiian" (i.e., "Native Hawaiian" means any individual who has any ancestors that were natives, prior to 1778, of the area that now comprises the State of Hawai'i) leaves the eligibOity requirements for program under S. 2243 open to abuse when the bill aoes not express a biood quantum cut off. Given the definitional issue. S. 2243 may face serious opposition on the senate floor. S. 2243 is the Native Hawaiian health biU whieh provides for various programs including teacher training, special programs, student fellowships, adult education programs, and demonstration and research programs. Other Native Hawaiian bills include: 1. S. 1986, introduced by Senator Melcher of Montana and referred to and passed by the Select Committee of Indian Affairs, is a bill to establish a program for the prevention and control of diabetes among Native Americans. 2. S. 2294, introduced by Senator Weicker of Connecticut and co-sponsored by Senators Inouye and Matsunaga and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, addresses the needs of Native Hawaiian children with handicaps. The bill provides for such programs as early intervention and preschool services, grants for personnel training targeted towards the needs of Native Hawaiians, and development of program models and demonstrations for Native Hawaiian children. 3. House Representatives Bill 4124 ("H.R. 4124"), introduced by Congressman Cec Heftel of Hawai'i and referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, is the counterpart to S. 830. The native Hawaiian bills mentioned in this report still have a long way to go in the legislative process before they ean become public law. The legislative process of Congress is complex. Briefly, bills are introduced in both Houses of Congress and referred to appropriate committees of eaeh House respectively. Most of the

committees have subcommittees to whieh bills are usually referred. If a bill is of sufficient importance, and particularly if it is controversial, the subcommittee will usually set a date for a public hearing. After a hearing is completed, the subcommittee will schedule a "markup" session where members vote on whether to approve the bill as worded, amend it, rewrite it, or postpone action indefinitely . If a bill is sent to the full committee, it may hold its own hearing, or it may proceed to a vote. The full committee may choose to either table the bill or report it to the House, with or without amendments. If a bill is reported favorably to the full House, then it goes through another process whieh governs floor action. Onee a bill is passed in the House of Representatives, it is transmitted to the Senate, and conversely when a bill is passed in the Senate, it is transmitted to the House of Representatives. A bill cannot become law until it has been approved in identical terms by both Houses and signed by the Fresident. Finally, if the President vetoes a bill, Congress may override with twothirds vote. In conclusion, as your representatives in Washington, D.C., Carol Ford and I have begun the work of seeking federal funding sources for whieh Native Hawaiians may be eligible and opening the channels of eommunication among Congress, federal agencies and OHA. When our Native Hawaiian organizations and institutions eome to Capitol Hill in support of eaeh other, it strengthens our objective of obtaining federai funds to assist our Native Hawaiian people, and that in turn moves our people towards the ultimate goal of self-suffi-ciency. In that cooperative spirit, I remain steadfast in the struggle of our Native Hawaiian people.

This is a view of the capitol dome in Washington, D. C. where its all happening for Hawaii, Hawaiians and the nation. For the first time since its inception, OHA is now represented in Washington right on the spot.