Senate Organizes, House Pending
State Senate Organizes for 2013 Session
Maui State Senator Shan S. Tsutsui (Sen. District 5) has once again been elected as the President of the Senate and will preside during the 27th Hawaii State Legislature, which will convene on January 16, 2013. Senator Donna Mercado Kim (Sen. District 14) will also continue to serve as Senate Vice President and Chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism and Government Operations and Special Committee on Accountability. Senator David Ige (Sen. District 16) will continue as Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, with Senator Michelle Kidani (Sen. District 18) serving as his Vice Chair.
The Senate acted quickly to organize after the November 6, 2012, General Election, with a primary goal of promoting an environment of cooperation and shared leadership and authority. While much of leadership and committee chairmanships remained unchanged from the 26th Legislature, additional standing committees were established to provide greater scrutiny over important subject matter areas, as well as to provide a greater number of Senators the experience and authority to preside as committee chairs and vice chairs.
A listing of Senate Leadership and Committee Chairmanships is as follows:
| President | Shan S. Tsutsui |
| Vice President | Donna Mercado Kim |
| Majority Leader | Brickwood Galuteria |
| Ways and Means, Chair | David Ige |
| Ways and Means, Vice Chair | Michelle Kidani |
| Majority Floor Leader | Will Espero |
| Majority Caucus Leader | Ron Kouchi |
| Majority Policy Leader | Les Ihara, Jr. |
| Majority Whip | Gil Kahele |
| Majority Whip | Jill Tokuda |
| Judiciary and Labor, Chair | Clayton Hee |
| Commerce and Consumer Protection, Chair | Roz Baker |
| Agriculture, Chair | Clarence Nishihara |
| Arts and Technology, Chair | Glenn Wakai |
| Economic Development and Housing, Chair | Donovan Dela Cruz |
| Energy and Environment, Chair | Mike Gabbard |
| Education, Chair | Jill Tokuda |
| Hawaiian Affairs, Chair | Brickwood Galuteria |
| Health, Chair | Josh Green, M.D. |
| Higher Education, Chair | Brian Taniguchi |
| Human Services, Chair | Suzanne Chun Oakland |
| Public Safety and Military Affairs, Chair | Will Espero |
| Special Committee on Accountability, Chair | Donna Mercado Kim |
| Tourism and Government Operations, Chair | Donna Mercado Kim |
| Transportation & International Affairs, Chair | J. Kalani English |
| Water and Land, Chair | Malama Solomon |
There is a fierce struggle for leadership in the State House. Long time Speaker, Rep. Calvin Say, is under siege by a coalition of dissidents, environmental, business and labor organizations who want to oust him. The leading successor for the dissidents is Maui Rep. and former Speaker, Joseph Souki.