Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to reaffirm my strong commitment to have the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act enacted into law. This bill is of great importance to all of the people of Hawaii. The bill would simply put the State of Hawaii on equal footing with the rest of the country in the treatment of its indigenous people. It provides a process for the reorganization of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. However, since I first introduced this commonsense bill 10 years ago, it has been the subject of misleading attacks and procedural hurdles, and has never had the opportunity for an up-or-down vote here on the Senate floor. Earlier this month, a handful of my colleagues who oppose this measure put out a press release, fueling speculation that I was seeking to attach this bill to must-pass, end-of-session legislation. One of these colleagues said that this measure--and I quote, ``should be brought up separately and debated openly on the Senate floor with the opportunity for amendment.'' I could not agree more. A structured debate followed by an up-or-down vote on this legislation is long overdue. The people of Hawaii have waited for far too long. This Congress, the bill was favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and it was passed by the House of Representatives. Despite this, it was not given an opportunity to be debated and voted on, here on the Senate floor.…”