Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees and Hawai'i Attorney General Mark Bennett yesterday vowed to continue pressing for legislative approval of a $200 million ceded lands settlement this year. But a key senator was skeptical that a resolution could be reached in the remaining six weeks of the Legislature.

"We want to make it clear that we are not giving up," OHA Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona said at a news conference, with five of her eight colleagues flanking her.

But Sen. Jill Tokuda, who chairs the Senate's Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, said Tuesday's decision to hold House Bill 266, which contained the settlement offer, speaks for itself.

"I think by holding the measure, that was a pretty definitive message that we do not intend to pass the bill this year," said Tokuda, D-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe).

Tokuda stressed that she and other senators want the parties to get more feedback from the public, work on the bill and come back next year.

Bennett, the Lingle administration's chief negotiator in settlement talks with OHA, said, "We are going to do everything we can to try to still get this passed in this legislative session."