Should Senate bill S.147 (The Akaka Bill) come before you, we urge you to refrain from signing it until the citizens of Hawaii have an opportunity to endorse it by public plebiscite, as they did on the matter of statehood in 1959.
Obtaining a plebiscite for this bill from the citizens of Hawaii is not only proper but essential because it would result in the transfer of public and private lands from the State of Hawaii to a new tribal government that would then enact new laws that would govern the peoples who live on the transferred lands. Other citizens of Hawaii would also be impacted as essential infrastructure, that currently exists on these lands, is removed or taxed by the new tribal government. Taking such a bold step without giving all of the citizens of the State of Hawaii the right to vote on this issue, as they did in 1959 for statehood, is disenfranchisement. To my knowledge the United States of America has never enacted laws that disenfranchised its citizens.
There are many other good reasons for not signing this bill Mr. President, most of which are stated in the Republican Policy Committee Policy Paper (to view, go to:
https://tinyurl.com/9bf9x
and the analysis by Mr. Bruce Fein entitled “Hawaii Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”
Also, please be aware that the results of a recent independent poll of Hawaiian citizens showed that 67 percent of the respondents do not favor the Akaka bill and 44 percent of the respondents said they would not vote for an elected official who supported it.
To view, go to: “Recent Survey of Hawaii Residents Shows 2 out of 3 Oppose Akaka Bill”
Accordingly, Mr. President, we urge you to set aside Senate bill S.147, should it come before you, until the citizens of the State of Hawaii have an opportunity to endorse it by public plebiscite. To do otherwise would result in the disenfranchisement of United States citizens and such a precedent would not only have far-reaching consequences for the State of Hawaii, but for other states as well.
Thank you Mr. President for your full consideration of our request.
”’LK Bryan is the Managing Director of Pacific Island Enterprises, LLC and can be reached via email at mailto:”’ lkbryan@pacificislandenterprises.com
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