HAWAIIAN NATIONALS RESOLUTION INTRODUCED
HEARING SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY
Action Alert From The Committee Of Hawaiian Nationals
The good news is that State Rep. Hanohano submitted the Hawaiian Nationals resolutions to the "State" legislature. The resolutions are - House Resolution 178 (HR 178) and House Concurrent Resolution 226 (HCR 226). Find the text of HR 178 Here
The not so good news is that the Stateʻs Attorney General caused two key words in the resolution to be changed, thus altering the original intent from a provision to protect Hawaiian Nationals from discriminatory and prejudicial treatment (by the "State of Hawai`i") to a vehicle to blur distinctions and absorb Hawaiian Nationals into the "State."
What the Committee of Hawaiian Nationals submitted this year (and the past two years) was titled "Recognizing Hawaiian Nationals as a population residing lawfully in the Hawaiian Islands." But this year, due to the AGʻs input, the title of HR 178 and HCR 226 was changed to - "Including Hawaiian Nationals as a population residing in the Hawaiian Islands." .
By changing the word "Recognizing" to "Including" and deleting the word "lawfully" the resolution is hijacked from protecting the rights of Hawaiian Nationals to be separate and distinct from American citizens, to being blended in as an integral part of the State of Hawaii. Itʻs the same kind of deceptive sleight of hand used during "annexation" and "statehood" to capture Hawaiians into US citizenship.
We are disappointed by this sleight of hand maneuver, but we can use this to our advantage by making this an opportunity to educate state officials and the general public about the issue of Hawaiian nationality.
By fighting to get the original words put back during the legislative hearings, we can "un-hijack" our resolution and stop the state from harassing, prosecuting and incarcerating Hawaiian Nationals. Discrimination on the basis of national origin is strictly prohibited by international and US laws.
KU`E ACTION! - HEARING SCHEDULED
The first public legislative hearing for HR 178 is this coming up Wednesday, March 19 at 9:45 AM in conference room 325 in the State Capitol. The hearing will be before the Ocean Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. The chair of the OMH is Representative Faye Hanohano (who introduced the resolution for us), so she is friendly to our cause.
YOU CAN BE A BIG HELP by either coming to the hearing in person to testify - or – if you canʻt come in person - by submitting a written testimony.
Your testimony should SUPPORT HR 178 and HCR 226, but only if the original wording is restored. That means you want the committee to amend these resolutions by replacing the word "Including" with the word "Recognizing" (or "Acknowledging") and restoring the word "lawfully". These are critical to maintaining the integrity of the resolutions that were introduced over the past two years.
Go Here for directions on how to submit your testimony online (by email). Itʻs pretty simple. You can use the form they provide to either type in a brief statement of your position, or attach a lengthier one.
Testimonies should be in 24 hours before the hearing.
That means get it in by 9:45AM, tomorrow, March 18.
