Hawaiian Secession 2/27/2010 Wall Street Journal Editorial As farewell presents go, few lawmakers get to redistribute an entire state's wealth based on race. That was the send-off for Representative Neil Abercrombie, who is retiring this week to run for Governor of Hawaii. For his campaign literature, he'll take the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, which was whooped… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following floor statement (as prepared for delivery) on H.R. 2314, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009: Click here to watch the video “Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2314 and the Substitute text sponsored by Mr. Abercrombie. At the outset of this debate, it is… Read more »

Hawaiians deserve to vote, not just Congress By Rep. Doc Hastings The Daily Caller February 23, 2010 In March, 1959, Congress passed and with the stroke of a pen President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law, the Hawaii Admission Act, which pending approval of the Hawaiian residents, designated Hawaii as America’s 50th state. On June 27 of the same year, 94.3 percent of Hawaiians… Read more »

Ranking Republican Doc Hastings (R-WA) In March, 1959, Congress passed and with the stroke of a pen President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law, the Hawaii Admission Act, which pending approval of the Hawaiian residents, designated Hawaii as America's 50th state. On June 27 of the same year, 94.3… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the final rewritten text (Abercrombie substitute) of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009. This latest version, written in secret without Committee review or markup, contains fundamental changes from the bill that was first introduced in the 111th Congress and from legislation (H.R. 505) that was voted on during the… Read more »

Trouble in Paradise: Why the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act deserves to fail February 23, 2010 National Review Duncan Currie Amid much wrangling over the economy, a bipartisan debt panel, and President Obama’s health-care summit, Congress has chosen this moment to tackle . . . Native Hawaiian sovereignty? Sometime soon, perhaps as early as today, the House of… Read more »

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has announced that she cannot support the rewrite (Abercrombie substitute) of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 (Akaka bill) that is scheduled to be voted on today by the full House. Despite being a longtime, vocal supporter of Native Hawaiian recognition, Governor Lingle opposes the rewritten bill. Full text of her statement is… Read more »

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… Read more »

With the final rewritten text (Abercrombie substitute) of H.R. 2314, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009, being provided to members of the U.S. House of Representatives with less than 24 hours before a formal vote may be called, analysis of its provisions are ongoing.  A review of two sections of the bill reveal that it may contain a loophole that could allow… Read more »

This week, the House will consider the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 (H.R. 2314), which creates a separate, race-based government specifically for Native Hawaiians. This divisive legislation would allow this new government entity to be exempt from state taxes, set their own civil and possibly criminal jurisdictions apart from the State of Hawaii, and take ownership… Read more »