(Note: Below is a letter concerning the Akaka Bill sent by the mayor and the Village board of Hobart, Wisconsin to  U.S. Congressman Steve Kogan. There was no request or solicitation for the letter. It was sent after a briefing of the Hobart Village Council by Elaine Willman of Citizen Equal Rights Alliance (CERA). ---Dick Rowland)

Dear Congressman Kagen:

We are writing to express our opposition to the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act of 2007 (S.310 and H.R.505).

The proposed legislation would dedicate scarce financial resources to promote ethnic divisions within our great nation and, at the same time, expand the role of government in an attempt to fix a system that does not appear to be broken.

The following paragraphs highlight what S. 310 and H.R. 505 would do and why we are opposed to such action.

According to a summary of the legislation, S. 310/H.R. 505 would, in part:

• (a) allow for the reorganization and federal recognition of a single and separate Native Hawaiian government entity to serve as the representative government body for Native Hawaiian people;
• (b) create an Office for Native Hawaiian Relations within the Office of the Secretary of the Interior;
• (c) create a Native Hawaiian Interagency Coordinating Group; and
• (d) create a nine-member Commission charged with establishing, maintaining, and certifying the adult members of the Native Hawaiian community. The fiscal note prepared by the Congressional Budget Office states that “implementing S. 310 would cost about $1 million per year over the 2008-2010 period and less than $500,000 in each subsequent year … .”

The Village of Hobart is opposed to the legislation because it sets a precedent for thousands of Native American groups to seek federal recognition as independent Tribes.

Federally recognized Tribes may refuse to adhere to local zoning or environmental regulations, refuse to collect or remit sales and excise taxes owed on non-tribal transactions, and may impart greater influence over elections due to their exemption from campaign contribution laws.

The continued creation of separate tribal governing bodies –- bodies that are sovereign and exempt from the laws that are applicable to the rest of the country-is contrary to the whole concept of being one united nation.

The Village is also opposed to the legislation because it allows Native Hawaiians to obtain federal recognition as a Tribe even though federal criteria for such recognition have not been met. Separate legislation would not be necessary if Native Hawaiians met the “Mandatory criteria for Federal acknowledgment” specified in the Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR 83.7).

Finally, we are opposed to the legislation because it is a waste of our scarce financial resources and an unnecessary expansion of government bureaucracy.

At the federal level, $1 million per year may not seem like much, but at the state level it is equivalent to annual funding for Wisconsin’s School Breakfast Program ($1,055,400 in 2006-07) or Medical Assistance payments for day treatment services for persons with mental illness ($1.1 million in 2005-06).

S. 310/H.R. 505 proposes using similar funding levels to create new offices, commissions and coordinating groups – money that could be spent on providing direct services to those in need.

We ask you to please vote against S. 310/H.R. 505 when given the opportunity.

Richard Heidel is the mayor of the Village of Hobart, Wisconsin.