WASHINGTON — The Senate yesterday unanimously passed a resolution honoring Hawai'i's 50 years of statehood after some confusion was settled the day before over the legitimacy of President Obama's birth in Honolulu, which was mentioned in the language of the resolution.

On Monday, Hawai'i's Health Department confirmed that Obama's Aug 4, 1961, birth certificate was official, quashing claims by some conspiracy theorists — also known as "birthers" — that the 44th president was born in Kenya and thus not qualified to be president.

"The state of Hawai'i has been a rich cultural addition to the United States thanks to the ancient culture of the Native Hawaiians, the diverse multi-racial society created by generations of Asian and European immigrants, and the stunning natural beauty of our tropical climate," U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said in a Senate floor speech yesterday.

Inouye made a point of noting that "Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, was born and raised in Downtown Honolulu."

Hawai'i's congressional delegation is working to pass legislation written by U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, that would create a process for Native Hawaiian self-governance.

And that was touched on yesterday.

In his floor speech, Inouye pointed out a central tenet in the argument for the Akaka bill, namely that Hawai'i was once sovereign and that the United States has officially apologized for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893.

Akaka, a Native Hawaiian, extolled the virtues of the aloha spirit in his floor speech.

"Everyone who comes to Hawai'i embraces the aloha spirit," he said. "Aloha seeks to do good with no conditions attached. ... This is the meaning of aloha."

Akaka alluded to his legislation when he said the United States has a "sacred trust with the indigenous people of Hawai'i that still remains to be fulfilled."