Great news for advocates of increased Native Hawaiian rights. The Indian Affairs Committee of the United States Senate has unanimously passed legislation to let native Hawaiians establish their own government. The new government would operate much like those formed by Indian tribes. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka who has authored similar legislation during previous congressional sessions, but has yet to get the measure passed by the full Senate. Here is the press release:

Okay, I wrote a piece a few days ago on Senator Daniel Inouye and his infamous earmarks. Maybe this will make up for it. According to the Star Bulletin, the senior Senator from Hawaii is taking the lead on an important issue to Filipino Americans by introducing the Military Families Act.

As we all continue fighting for a robust public option, it's also important to hear about other ways to reduce cost and increase access to health care in this country. Here's an interesting article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin about a program I had never heard of. It seems in Hawaii, they have a successful program called the Prepaid Health Care Act:

Here's some exciting news out of Hawaii. Democrat Colleen Hanabusa, the state Senate president, is expected to soon announce her candidacy for the First Congressional District in Hawaii. That's the seat being vacated by current Representative Neil Abercrombie who is stepping down to run for Governor.