Native Hawaiian government coming soon?

Native Hawaiians may be allowed to form their own government soon.

Article posted yesterday evening on Honolulu Star Advertiser website:

Legislation that starts the process for native Hawaiians to form their own government is heading to Gov. Neil Abercrombie for his approval.

The Hawaii House and Senate voted today to approve the bill, which recognizes native Hawaiians as the indigenous people of the state.

The measure is meant to support a related proposal pending in Congress that would protect Native Hawaiian programs and allow them to create a self-governing entity.

Native Hawaiians are the last remaining indigenous group in the United States who haven't been allowed to establish their own government, a right already extended to many Alaska Natives and Native American tribes.

The bill calls for a five-member commission responsible for creating a roll of qualified native Hawaiians interested in participating in their government. 

If this legislation does pass, I am not completely sure what this will mean for Hawai'i residents - both native Hawaiians and non-natives... There have been many attempts at Hawaiian sovereignty in the past, none of which were successful. If this is similar to the Akaka bill of 2009, the newly affiliated tribe of ethnic Hawaiians would "eventually be endowed eventually endowed with the powers of a sovereign state, including freedom from state taxes and regulations and separate police power," according to a December 17, 2009 Wall Street Journal article about the Akaka bill. But I am not sure if the current legislation is just another version of the Akaka bill or something entirely different/new. I guess we will have to wait and see because from recent coverage of this story, I have not been able to tell...

Here is another article about yesterday's news:
Beginnings of Native Hawaiian government agreed on