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Hawaii Senate

Upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hawaii Senate
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21°18′26.4″N 157°51′26.2″W

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The Hawaii State Senate (Hawaiian: Ka ‘Aha Kenekoa) is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently Ron Kouchi. The forerunner of the Hawaii Senate during the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii 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 house of the legislature is the Hawaii 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 Hawaii Senate convenes in the Hawaii State Capitol in Honolulu.

According to Article III, section 4 of the Hawaii State Constitution, a legislator's term begins on the day of the general election and ends the day of the general election if a new member is elected.[2]

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Composition

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The Democrats have controlled the chamber since 1963, and have held a supermajority since 1984.

From 2016 (when Sen. Sam Slom, Hawaii's sole Republican state Senator, was defeated in his bid for reelection) to 2018, the Democratic Party held all 25 seats in the Hawaii Senate. This made the Hawaii Senate the only state legislative chamber with no opposition members (this excludes the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature).[3] It was the first time since 1980 (when both the Alabama Senate and Louisiana Senate were all-Democratic) that any state legislative chamber had been completely dominated by a single party.[4]

22 3
Democratic Rep
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Leadership

Officers

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List of current members

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  1. Democrat Gilbert Keith-Agaran resigned on October 31, 2023. State representative Troy Hashimoto was appointed on November 9, 2023 to fill the seat until a special election is held in November 2024.[5]
  2. Became President of the Senate on December 28, 2012, after Shan Tsutsui was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to be Lieutenant Governor.[6] Ousted as Senate President in unusual mid-year leadership reorganization on May 5, 2015.[7] First Filipina, but second Filipino American, Hawaiʻi Senate President[8][9]
  1. Previously served in Senate from 1998 to 2008
  2. Previously served in House from 2014 to 2020
  3. Senator was originally appointed
  4. Previously served in House from 2018 to 2023
  5. Previously served in House from 2006 to 2022
  6. Previously served in House from 2015 to 2021
  7. Previously served in House from 1986 to 1994
  8. Previously served in House from 1979 to 1982, House from 1987 to 1992, and Senate from 1992 to 2012
  9. Previously served in House from 2006 to 2016
  10. Previously served in House from 1982 to 1985
  11. Previously served in House from 2002 to 2010
  12. Previously served in House from 2008 to 2022
  13. Previously served in House from 2014 to 2018
  14. Previously served in House from 2008 to 2020
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Entrance to the Hawaii State Senate chamber
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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

See also

References

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