Hawaiian Native Claims Settlement Study Commission Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Hawaiian Native Claims Settlement Study Commission Act of 1979 - Establishes the Hawaiian Native Claims Settlement Study Commission to study the culture, needs, and concerns of Native Hawaiians and recommend the means by which the United States may compensate them for injuries arising from its annexation of Hawaii. Provides that nine of the Commission's fifteen members shall be of specified degrees of Native blood, and that eight members shall be nominated from a list of suggested members from the Governor of Hawaii. Directs the Commission to publish a draft report of its findings, within one year of enactment of this Act, and make such report available to appropriate Federal and State agencies, Native Hawaiian organizations, and the public. Directs the Commission to submit a final report, within six months of the draft report, to the President and appropriate Congressional committees. Requires such report's recommendations to include provisions for financial and land compensation that will enhance Native education and culture, and administrative provisions for the distribution of any remedy. Provides that the Commission's recommendations will be designed to seek a final settlement of Native claims without creating a wardship or trusteeship or diminishing the Natives' status as United States citizens. States that this resolution shall not constitute an extension of jurisdiction or consent to Hawaiian Natives to sue the Government, or a precedent for reopening any past settlement of such claims. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to reserve a reasonable portion of funds appropriated under this Act for the purpose of providing necessary expenses to Commission members in testifying before the Congress on their activities while serving on the Commission.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on December 13, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 13, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
SPARK MATSUNAGA (D-HI) introduced it on December 13, 1979, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on December 13, 1979, 17073 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17073 days ago, on December 13, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers