GRIH members were in Washington D.C. recently to brief policy makers on the status of the Akaka Bill (S. 310 / H.R. 505). Grassroot Board of Scholars member Jere Krischel, Founder Dick Rowland and Andresen Blom of Research of the Institute for Hawaii along with Elaine Willman of the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance and Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute were on the panel for a Cato Institute presentation entitled; "The One-Drop Rule in Hawaii? The Akaka Bill and the Future of Race-Based Government."

The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act—known as the 'Akaka Bill', would grant 'Native Hawaiians' federal recognition akin to what is now enjoyed by Indian tribes. The bill creates a special authority that would exempt ethnic Hawaiians from certain aspects of federal and state power and may lead to Independence. Having already passed the House and been reported out of Senate committee, the Akaka Bill is now due to be taken up by the full Senate between now and the end of the session. President Bush has promised a veto—citing the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's conclusion that it "would discriminate on the basis of race … and further subdivide the American people into discrete subgroups accorded varying degrees of privilege."

The Cato Institute is a think tank in Washington D.C. focusing on traditional American principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. Cato's scholars emphasize the due influence the Declaration of Independence and Constitution should have in the public policy debate and the importance of preserving the basic liberties that are the foundation of a free society.

The lively discussion on the Akaka Bill and the Q&A afterward examined the political, economic, legal, and historical issues related to Native Hawaiians in Hawaii USA. The Cato Institute has now posted a video of the presentation as well as a free MP3 audio file. Please find them at http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=4838.

-GIR-