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Hawaii State Senate
| Hawaii State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2012 session start: | January 18, 2012 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Shan Tsutsui, (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Brickwood Galuteria (D) |
| Minority leader: | Samuel Slom, (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 25 |
| Democratic Party (24) Republican Party (1) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art III, Hawaii Constitution |
| Salary: | $48,708/year |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 (15 seats) |
| Next election: | November 6, 2012 (10 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Hawaii Reapportionment Commission |
Senators are elected to four-year terms and are not subject to term limits.
Article III, Section 10 of the Hawaii Constitution establishes that the senate shall convene each year in a regular session that begins at 10:00 a.m. on the third Wednesday in January. These regular sessions are limited by the constitution to a period of 60 working days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and designated recess days.
In 2010, the Senate was in session from January 20th to April 29th.[3]
Sessions
Article III of the Hawaii Constitution establishes when the Hawaii State Legislature, which the Senate is a part of, is to be in session. Section 10 of Article III states that the Legislature shall convene in regular session on the third Wednesday in January of every year. Regular sessions are limited to sixty legislative days, but they can be extended by fifteen days by the Governor of Hawaii or by the request of two-thirds of each legislative house. Section 10 mandates that the Legislature take a mandatory recess of at least five days during each regular session.
Section 10 also contains provisions regarding special sessions of the Legislature. Special sessions can involve both houses of the Legislature or the Senate alone. Special sessions can be convened by the Governor of Hawaii or by two-thirds of the house or houses seeking to convene. Special sessions are limited in length. They are not to last more than thirty legislative days, but they, like regular sessions, can be extended for fifteen days.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Senate was in session from January 18 to May 3.
Major issues
The legislature is expected to focus on job creation, creating a sustainable economy, sustainable and renewable energy, improving the state's information technology infrastructure, and education funding.[4]
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the Senate was in session from January 19 through May 5.
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the Senate was in session from January 20th to April 29th. The 2011 session starts on January 19, 2011.
Elections
2012
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Hawaii State Senate will be held in Hawaii on November 6, 2012. A total of 10 seats will be up for election. The signature filing deadline is June 5, 2012 and the primary date is August 11, 2012.
2010
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Hawaii State Senator were held in Hawaii on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 20, 2010, and the primary election day was September 18, 2010.
The partisan breakdown of the Senate before and after the election was as follows:
| Hawaii State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 23 | 24 | |
| Republican Party | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | 25 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Hawaii in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[5]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 46 | $1,586,733 |
| 2008 | 26 | $2,020,962 |
| 2006 | 28 | $1,237,247 |
| 2004 | 25 | $1,646,425 |
| 2002 | 59 | $1,635,442 |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in state senate elections was $1,586,733. The top 10 donors were: [6]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hawaii Association of Realtors | $44,100 |
| Ironworkers Local 625 | $34,050 |
| Hawaii State Teachers Association | $32,420 |
| Hawaii Operating Engineers | $18,222 |
| Hawaii Carpenters & Joiners | $16,800 |
| Plumbers & Pipefitters | $16,000 |
| Operating Engineers Local 3 | $16,000 |
| Painters Local 1791 | $13,450 |
| Monsanto | $12,000 |
| Longshore & Warehouse Local 142 | $11,950 |
Qualifications
From Article III, Section 7 of the Hawaii Constitution: No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the senate unless the person has been a resident of the State for not less than three years, has attained the age of majority and is, prior to filing nomination papers and thereafter continues to be, a qualified voter of the senatorial district from which the person seeks to be elected; except that in the year of the first general election following reapportionment, but prior to the primary election, an incumbent senator may move to a new district without being disqualified from completing the remainder of the incumbent senator's term.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Governor is responsible for appointing a replacement. For all vacancies, the Governor must appoint a replacement within 60 days after the vacancy happened. The candidate is selected from a list of three prospective candidates submitted by the political party that last held the vacant seat. The party has thirty days after the vacancy to submit a list of prospective candidates. If the person leaving the seat is a independent, the Governor must select a resident from the vacant district that is not a member of any political party[7] [8].
Senators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2011, members of the Hawaii legislature are paid $46,272/year. Additionally, legislators receive $150/day for per diem for members living outside Oahu during session, and $120/day during the interim while conducting official legislative business. Members living inside Oahu receive $10/day during the interim while conducting legislative business.[9]
The $46,272/year that Hawaii legislators are paid as of 2011 is an increase over the $35,900 they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem for members outside the Oahu area has increased from $120/day in 2007 to $150/day in 2011. [10]
When sworn in
Hawaii legislators assume office the first day of Legislative session following the election (usually the third Wednesday of January).
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 24 | |
| Republican Party | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | |
Leadership
The President and Vice President of the Senate are elected by a majority vote of the members of the Senate. The President serves as the presiding officer, whose duties include opening meetings, maintaining order in the Senate, appoint all members of committees, and establish final dates for action on legislation.[11]
The Vice President, along with the President, prepares and administers a budget for the Senate. In the absence of the President, the Vice President assumes all duties of the position.[12]
Current leadership
List of current senators
Senate Committees
The Hawaii Senate has 14 standing committees:
- Agriculture
- Commerce and Consumer Protection
- Economic Development and Technology
- Education
- Energy and Environment
- Hawaiian Affairs
- Health
- Human Services
- Judiciary and Labor
- Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs
- Tourism
- Transportation and International Affairs
- Ways and Means
- Water, Land, and Housing
External links
- Official website of the Hawaii State Senate
- Vote Smart profile of Hawaii Senate
- Senate rules for the 2090-2010 senate
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Hawaii legislature
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "Hawaii State Senate Majority Caucus Sets its Priorities for the 2012 Legislative Session," January 17, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money, Hawaii
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Hawaii Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Hawaii Legislature "Hawaii Revised Statutes"(Referenced Statute 17-3(a) (1)-(2))
- ↑ Hawaii Legislature "Hawaii Revised Statutes"(Referenced Statute 17-4(a)-(b))
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ Leadership of the Hawaii Senate
- ↑ 2009-2010 Rules of the Hawaii Senate
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