"I should also add that many of them have some good ideas that can improve government operations."
"I understand that the Administration is committed to transparency, but we must ensure that this Board makes fair decisions."
"They do not belong to the State? No. It is held in trust, and, of course, one of the trust purposes is for the benefit of Native Hawaiians."
"Aloha. Thank you for this opportunity to testify on H.R. 2314."
"This was the policy that the President campaigned on, and we have not heard a reason, a public policy basis to back off of that commitment."
"All of those kinds of issues, anything that would allow Native Hawaiians to not pay state taxes would have to be agreed to by the State of Hawaii."
"I want to thank Senator Collins, the lead Republican cosponsor of S. 372, and Members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who are cosponsors, including my good friend Senator V..."
"They do not at the Merit Systems Protection Board right now."
"This issue is a priority for me, and I am optimistic that finally we will enact protections for whistleblowers this year."
"This is not an equal protection issue. I think this is where the crux of the difference is, that this is not a race-based legislation."
"We are in a period of unprecedented government spending, crises in terms of civil liberties, human rights abroad, as well as our economy that will require our government to be at its best."
"I cannot disagree more strongly with that statement because there was a Kingdom of Hawaii recognized by the United States."
"Congress retains some jurisdiction because of the creation of the Hawaiian Homes Commissions Act."
"Native Hawaiians, like American Indians and Alaska Natives, have an inherent sovereignty based on their status as indigenous native people."
"Clearly, I supported the 1978 constitutional convention, which proposed the creation of OHA, which was ratified by the majority of the people of Hawaii."
"Those of us who have addressed this issue, who have thought about it, who have read the various opinions, we have never viewed this as a race-based issue."
"I would say that any kind of an argument that says that, that Native Hawaiians are not an indigenous people, is in my view very wrong."
"There is nothing in the language of this bill that would lead me to conclude that."
