FLASH! - US DEPT. OF INTERIOR TO PROPOSE RULE FOR US FEDERAL RECOGNITION OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN TRIBE
The U.S. Department of the Interior has taken a major step toward federal recognition of Native Hawaiians.
The agency has released the draft of a proposed rule regarding procedures to re-establish a government-to-government relationship with a native governing entity.
That entity is in the process of being formed through the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission, which late last month sent notices to qualified voters on how to participate in a constitutional convention for self-governance.
Jessica Kershaw, press secretary for the Interior Department, confirmed to Civil Beat Friday that the draft rule has been proposed:
“I will confirm for you that in response to an extensive public comment period with public meetings, as you are aware, in Hawaii and also Indian country in the continental United States and requests from congressional states and Native Hawaiian community leaders, the Department of Interior will propose a rule that establishes an administrative procedure that the secretary would use if the Native Hawaiian community forms a unified government that seeks a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States.”
The status of the rule review, which was filed Thursday, is pending and there is no timeline indicated.
The new development will likely boost the efforts of the commission and its supporters to have qualified Hawaiians participate in an election process.
But it will also upset many others who oppose federal recognition and argue that Hawai`i was illegally annexed by the United States in 1898 and in fact remains a sovereign state....
