| Hawaii State Senate Ka ‘Aha Kenekoa | |
| Coa Pic: | Seal of the State of Hawaii.svg |
| Term Limits: | None |
| New Session: | January 20, 2021 |
| House Type: | Upper house |
| Leader1: | Ron Kouchi (D) |
| Election1: | May 5, 2015 |
| Leader2 Type: | Vice President |
| Leader2: | Michelle Kidani (D) |
| Election2: | November 10, 2016 |
| Leader3 Type: | Majority Leader |
| Leader3: | Dru Kanuha (D) |
| Election3: | May 5, 2021 |
| Leader4 Type: | Minority Leader |
| Leader4: | Kurt Fevella (R) |
| Election4: | November 6, 2018 |
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Salary: | $72,348 per year + $225 per diem for non-Oʻahu members (2023)[1] |
| Redistricting: | Hawaii Reapportionment Commission |
| Members: | 25 |
| Political Groups1: | Majority
Minority
|
| Last Election1: | November 8, 2022 (25 seats) |
| Meeting Place: | State Senate Chamber Hawaii State Capitol Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Website: | Hawaii State Senate |
| Rules: | Rules of the Senate |
| Session Room: | Hawaii State Medal of Honor ceremony pays tribute to fallen service members, Image 4.jpg |
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]
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]
| 23< | -- | style= "background:#FFFFFF; width:2.4%; text-align:center; color:black" | --> | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic< | -- | --> | Rep | |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||||
| End of previous legislature (2022) | 24 | 1 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Begin (2023) | 23 | 2 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Latest voting share | ||||||
| Position | Name | Party | District | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| Minority Leader | 20 |
| 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 |
| District | Name | Party | County(ies) | Areas Represented | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dem | Hawaiʻi | Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou, Pepe‘ekeo | 2014 | ||
| 2 | Dem | Puna | 2020 | |||
| 3 | Dem | 2018 | ||||
| 4 | Dem | Hilo, Hāmākua, Kohala, Waimea, Waikōloa, Kona | 2022 | |||
| 5 | Dem | Maui | Wailuku, Waiheʻe, Kahului, Mauka, Wai'ehu | 2023 | ||
| 6 | Dem | West and South Maui, Maalaea, Waikapu | 2022 | |||
| 7 | Dem | Maui, Kalawao | Hāna, East and Upcountry Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, Molokini | 2021 | ||
| 8 | Dem | Kauaʻi | Kauaʻi, Niʻihau | 2010 | ||
| 9 | Dem | Honolulu | Hawaiʻi Kai, ʻĀina Haina, Waiʻalae-Kāhala, Diamond Head, Kaimuki, Kapahulu | 2016 | ||
| 10 | Dem | Kaimukī, Kapahulu, Pālolo, Maunalani Heights, St. Louis Heights, Mōʻiliʻili, Ala Wai mauka, Kapahulu, Moiliili, McCully | 1994 | |||
| 11 | Dem | Mānoa, Makiki, Punchbowl, Papakōlea, Tantalus | 2022 | |||
| 12 | Dem | Kakaʻako, Ala Moana, Waikīkī, McCully | 2018 | |||
| 13 | Dem | Liliha, Pālama, Iwilei, Nuʻuanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Downtown, Chinatown, Dowsett Heights, Pu'unui | 2016 | |||
| 14 | Dem | Moanalua, ʻAiea, Fort Shafter, Kalihi Valley, Red Hill, Kapalama | 2000 | |||
| 15 | Dem | Kalihi, Māpunapuna, Airport, Salt Lake, Āliamanu, Foster Village, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Aiea, Pearl City | 2010 | |||
| 16 | Dem | Pearl City, Momilani, Pearlridge, ʻAiea, Royal Summit, ʻAiea Heights, Newtown, Waimalu, Hālawa, Pearl Harbor, Waiau, Pacific Palisades | 2022 | |||
| 17 | Dem | Mililani Town, Mililani Mauka, Waipi'o Acres, Launani Valley, Wahiawa, Whitmore Village | 2010 | |||
| 18 | Dem | Mililani Town, Waipiʻo Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, Village Park, Royal Kunia | 2008 | |||
| 19 | Dem | Pearl City, Waipahu, West Loch Estates, Hono'ui'uli, Ho'opii | 2022 | |||
| 20 | Rep | ʻEwa Beach, Ocean Pointe, ʻEwa by Gentry, Iroquois Point, ʻEwa Village | 2018 | |||
| 21 | Dem | Kalaeloa, Fernandez Village, ʻEwa, Kapolei, Makakilo, | 2006 | |||
| 22 | Dem | Honokai Hale, Ko 'Olina, Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha, Makua | 2024 | |||
| 23 | Rep | Kane'ohe, Kahaluu thru Laie, Kahuku to Mokuleia, Schofield Barracks, Kunia Camp | 2022 | |||
| 24 | Dem | Kāneʻohe, Kailua | 2018 | |||
| 25 | Chris Lee | Dem | Kailua, Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi Kai | 2020 | ||
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.
See main article: Political party strength in Hawaii.