Gov. Abercrombie Signs Act 195; Will Appoint 5-Member Commission to Establish Official Native Hawaiian Roll

Governor Enacts Bill To Further Self Determination For Native Hawaiians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2011

Honolulu –Governor Neil Abercrombie signed into law a measure that recognizes Native Hawaiians as the indigenous people of Hawai'i. Act 195 gives the Governor the power to appoint a five-member Native Hawaiian Roll Commission that will build the foundation for self-determination.

“This is an important step for the future of Native Hawaiian self-determination and the ability for Native Hawaiians to decide their own future,” stated Governor Abercrombie. “This Commission will put together the roll of qualified and interested Native Hawaiians who want to help determine the course of Hawai'i’s indigenous people.”

Act 195 starts the process that will eventually lead to Native Hawaiian Recognition. While in the U.S. House of Representatives, then-Congressman Abercrombie worked closely with U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka on moving the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, which was first introduced in 1999. In 2000 and 2007, then-Congressman Abercrombie successfully shepherded the legislation through the U.S. House of Representatives committees and won approval by the full House... (Complete Press Release)

Hundreds attend Wednesday's Barstow casino hearing

 Barstow casino project renewed

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A sign depicting the proposed Barstow Casino stands in front of the property on Lenwood Road near the Hampton Inn Friday. A draft environmental impact statement was released Friday.

  Government overturns 2008 order

July 05, 2011

KAREN JONAS

Staff Writer

BARSTOW • Nearly a full decade after it was first proposed, an Indian gaming casino that would be located near the Barstow outlets has received a new breath of life after a draft environmental impact statement was released Friday.

The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians — who have a reservation in a rural and mountainous area of San Diego County — first began plans for a casino near the Lenwood outlets in 2001.

The project stalled in 2008 after the Department of Interior issued a memorandum that required offreservation gaming casinos to be located within a “commutable distance” of the tribe’s reservation.

The application for the Los Coyotes casino in Barstow was rejected because of the new requirement, and the tribe filed another application in May 2008, said Suzanne Schaeffer, a lawyer working on the land trust application for the tribe.

Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior rescinded the memorandum and announced that it will move forward to process pending off-reservation gaming applications based on current federal law, according to a prepared statement from the Department of the Interior.

The Los Coyotes casino will have to undergo a “twopart test” in order to put the land — currently owned by BarWest Gaming Inc. — into federal trust and allow the casino to be constructed, Schaeffer said. Under the Indian Gaming and Regulation Act, the tribe must prove that off-reservation gaming is in the best interest of the tribe and is not detrimental to the surrounding community, and the governor also has to approve the project.