Support the Hastings of Washington Amendment
to Require a Statewide Vote on Creating a Separate Native Government in Hawaii

Dear Colleague:

In 1959, a vote was taken in Hawaii on the question of becoming a state. Over 94 percent voted in favor of statehood. Hawaii voted overwhelmingly to join our union as one unified state.

Today, under this bill, Congress will vote on dividing the State of Hawaii through the creation of a separate governing entity based solely on race. If Congress is going to impose this division on Hawaii over the objections of its Governor, then Hawaiians deserve to have a vote on the matter.

In a Zogby poll from last December, only 34 percent of Hawaiians supported the concept of the federal government imposing a new racially based sub-population of citizens on the islands. Like their fellow Hawaiians who voted overwhelmingly for statehood in 1959, Hawaiians today want a say in the future of their archipelago—the same poll found that 58 percent want a statewide vote on the issue. I have an amendment that will be voted on by the House that would require just such a statewide vote, and I hope all Representatives will join me in support of it.

Sincerely,

/s
Doc Hastings
Ranking Member
Committee on Natural Resources

Read the full Dear Colleague HERE