Gov. Linda Lingle, officials with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawai'i's congressional delegation continue to be optimistic that the Akaka bill will be heard this session, despite the recent shift in attention on Capitol Hill to helping Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Senators had been scheduled to hear a cloture vote yesterday that would have forced a vote on the Akaka bill on the floor of the Senate, but Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., postponed the vote to allow lawmakers to concentrate on legislation to help disaster victims, address rising gasoline prices, Supreme Court justice nominees and other recent developments.

Lingle, who flew to Washington for the vote accompanied by Hawaiian Home Lands Chairman Micah Kane, said in a phone interview yesterday that she believes there is an "at least 50-50" chance that the cloture vote will be held before Congress adjourns later this fall.

The Akaka bill, also known as the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005, creates a process that would eventually lead to the establishment of a Native Hawaiian government that would be recognized by the U.S. government, similar to the political status given to Native Americans and Alaska natives.

"My guess, and it's only a guess, would be two to three weeks," Lingle said. "I feel as if we've explained what there is to know about it, we've worked through all of the issues that the Justice Department and the White House had. There's just no reason for further delay at this time."

Lingle said she spoke to about 10 Republican senators on the Senate floor yesterday, among them Frist and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a major opponent of the bill.

Donalyn Dela Cruz, spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i, the namesake for the bill, said her boss was doing what he could to ensure the bill would be heard this session.

"It's too early to say it's not going to happen," Dela Cruz said. "The senator is going to continue to push for this bill to be heard, at least get the cloture motion back on the floor."

She added: "The senator has spent the past six years just trying to get it to this point, and the fact that it's come this far speaks volumes. But he will continue to press the majority leader to get a date before adjournment."

The Senate initially was to adjourn in early October, but its Web page now says the target adjournment date is "to be announced."

OHA administrator Clyde Namu'o also had traveled to Washington, along with seven of the nine OHA trustees, in anticipation of a cloture vote.

Namu'o said the trustees were expected to stay through today when they will meet with Lingle, representatives of OHA-hired law firm Patton Boggs, and the congressional delegation to discuss strategy.

"I think after that discussion, we'll have a better sense of what's going on and what the time schedule might look like," Namu'o said.

Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, also is pushing for a vote, according to Mike Yuen, Inouye's spokesman.

"The senator is working with other members of the delegation to try an ensure the bill comes up for a cloture vote as soon as possible given the circumstances we find ourselves in right now," Yuen said.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.