Hawaii Senate
Coordinates: 21°18′26.4″N 157°51′26.2″W / 21.307333°N 157.857278°W
| Hawaii State Senate | |
|---|---|
| Hawaii State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 21, 2015 |
| Leadership | |
Vice President of the Senate | |
Majority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 25 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article III, Hawaiʻi Constitution |
| Salary |
$57,852/year + $175 per diem for non-Oʻahu members, or $10 per diem for Oʻahu members (2014)[1] |
| Elections | |
Last election |
November 8, 2016 (14 seats) |
Next election |
November 6, 2018 (11 seats) |
| Redistricting | Hawaii Reapportionment Commission |
| Meeting place | |
|
State Senate Chamber Hawaiʻi State Capitol Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| Website | |
| http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/senate.aspx | |
The Hawaiʻi State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently Ron Kouchi. The forerunner of the Hawaii State Senate during the government of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was the House of Nobles originated in 1840. In 1894 the Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii renamed the upper house the present senate. Senators are elected to four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Like most state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii State Senate is a part-time body and senators often have active careers outside government. The lower chamber of the legislature is the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives. The membership of the Senate also elects additional officers to include the Senate Vice President, Senate Chief Clerk, Assistant Chief Clerk, Senate Sergeant at Arms and Assistant Sergeant at Arms.
The Hawaiʻi Senate convenes in the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in Honolulu.
Composition
Since 2016, when Hawaii's sole Republican state Senator was defeated in his bid for reelection, the Democratic Party has held all 25 seats in the Hawaii Senate. This makes the Hawaii Senate the only state legislative chamber with no opposition members (excluding the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature).[2] This was the first time that any state legislative chamber was completely dominated by a single party since 1980 (when the Alabama Senate and Louisiana Senate were all-Democratic).[3]
| 25 |
| Democratic |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature (2016) | 24 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Begin (2017) | 25 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 100% | 0% | ||
Leadership
| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Ron Kouchi | Democratic | 8 |
| Majority Leader | J. Kalani English | Democratic | 7 |
Officers
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chief Clerk | Carol T. Taniguchi |
| Assistant Chief Clerk | Jennifer T. Chow |
| Sergeant at Arms | Bienvenido C. Villaflor |
| Assistant Sergeant at Arms | C.M. Park Kaleiwahea |
List of current members
| District | Name | Party | County(ies) | Areas Represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaiali‘i Kahele | Dem | Hawaii | Hilo |
| 2 | Russell E. Ruderman | Dem | Puna, Kaʻu | |
| 3 | Josh Green | Dem | Kona, Kaʻu | |
| 4 | Lorraine Inouye | Dem | Hilo, Hamakua, Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa, Kona | |
| 5 | Gilbert S. C. Keith-Agaran[Note 1] | Dem | Maui | Wailuku, Waiheʻe, Kahului |
| 6 | Rosalyn Baker | Dem | South and West Maui | |
| 7 | J. Kalani English | Dem | Maui, Kalawao | Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Molokaʻi, Lanaʻi and Kahoʻolawe |
| 8 | Ronald D. Kouchi | Dem | Kauai | Kauaʻi, Niʻihau |
| 9 | Stanley Chang | Dem | Honolulu | Hawaiʻi Kai, ʻAina Haina, Waiʻalae-Kahala, Diamond Head |
| 10 | Les Ihara, Jr. | Dem | Kaimuki, Kapahulu, Palolo, Maunalani Heights, St. Louis Heights, Moʻiliʻili, Ala Wai | |
| 11 | Brian Taniguchi | Dem | Manoa, Makiki, Punchbowl, Papakolea | |
| 12 | Brickwood Galuteria | Dem | Kakaʻako, Ala Moana, Waikiki, McCully, Moʻiliʻili | |
| 13 | Suzanne Chun Oakland | Dem | Liliha, Palama, Iwilei, Kalihi, Nuʻuanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Lower Tantalus, Downtown | |
| 14 | Donna Mercado Kim[Note 2] | Dem | Moanalua, ʻAiea, Fort Shafter, Kalihi Valley, Halawa Valley | |
| 15 | Glenn Wakai | Dem | Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Airport, Salt Lake, Aliamanu, Foster Village, Hickam, Pearl Harbor | |
| 16 | Breene Harimoto | Dem | Pearl City, Momilani, Pearlridge, ʻAiea, Royal Summit, ʻAiea Heights, Newtown, Waimalu, Halawa, Pearl Harbor | |
| 17 | Clarence K. Nishihara | Dem | Waipahu, Pearl City, Crestview, Manana, Pacific Palisades | |
| 18 | Michelle Kidani | Dem | Mililani Town, Waipiʻo Gentry, Waikele, Village Park, Royal Kunia | |
| 19 | Will Espero | Dem | ʻEwa Beach, ʻEwa by Gentry, Ocean Pointe, ʻEwa Villages, Iroquois Point | |
| 20 | Mike Gabbard | Dem | Makakilo, Kapolei, Kalaeloa, ʻEwa, Waipahu | |
| 21 | Maile Shimabukuro | Dem | Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Ko ʻOlina, Nanakuli, Maʻili, Waiʻanae, Makaha, Makua | |
| 22 | Donovan Dela Cruz | Dem | Mililani Mauka, Waipiʻo Acres, Wheeler, Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Poamoho | |
| 23 | Gil Riviere | Dem | Kunia, Schofield Barracks, Wahiawa, Waialua, Haleʻiwa, Kahuku, Laʻie, Kaʻaʻawa, Kaneʻohe | |
| 24 | Jill N. Tokuda | Dem | ʻAhuimanu, Heʻeia, Kaneʻohe, Kaneʻohe MCAB | |
| 25 | Laura Thielen | Dem | Kailua, Lanikai, Enchanted Lake, Keolu Hills, Maunawili, Waimanalo, Hawaiʻi Kai, Portlock | |
- ↑ Appointed to seat on January 7, 2013 by Governor Neil Abercrombie after Shan Tsutsui was appointed to be Lieutenant Governor.[4]
- ↑ Became President of the Senate on December 28, 2012, after Shan Tsutsui was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to be Lieutenant Governor.[5] Ousted as Senate President in unusual mid-year leadership reorganization on May 5, 2015.[6] First Filipina, but second Filipino American, Hawaiʻi Senate President[7][8]
Capitol
The Hawaiʻi State Senate has been meeting at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in downtown Honolulu since March 15, 1969. Previous to the decision of Governor John A. Burns to build the new Capitol building, the Hawaiʻi State Senate met in ʻIolani Palace.
Past composition of the Senate
References
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures. "2014 State Legislator Compensation | Living Expense Allowances During Session". Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ↑ Cocke, Sophie (November 9, 2016). "Chang ousts Slom to create nation's only all-blue Senate". Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
- ↑ Cathy Bussewitz, If Democrat wins seat, Hawaii could be first state in U.S. with one-party rule, Associated Press (October 23, 2016).
- ↑ Osher, Wendy (7 January 2013). "Governor Appoints Gilbert Keith-Agaran to Maui Senate Seat". MauiNow.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "State Senate chooses Donna Kim as new president". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ Dayton, Kevin (5 May 2015). "Kauai's Kouchi replaces Kim as Senate president". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Medina, Andrei (16 January 2013). "Donna Kim makes history as first Filipina-American Hawaiʻi Senate President". GMA News. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
Hawaiʻi Senate Vice President Donna Mercado Kim will make history on Thursday as she is installed as the first Filipina-American State Senate President.
- ↑ "Senator Donna Mercado Kim's Biography". Project Vote Smart. One Common Ground. 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
External links
- Hawaiʻi State Legislature
- Hawaiʻi State Legislature Legislative Reference Bureau
- State Senate of Hawaiʻi at Project Vote Smart
- Hawaii Senate at Ballotpedia
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