Senate Committees and Chairs Confirmed

The Hawai‘i State Senate has confirmed chairpersons for all 14 committees under the new Senate President Ron Kouchi (D-Kaua’i-Ni’ihau).

Among them are Big Island senators Gilbert Kahele (D-Hilo) and Lorraine Inouye (D-Kaupulehu-Waimea-North Hilo).  Sen. Kahele will head the committees for Higher Education and the Arts (HEA) and Tourism and International Affairs (TSI).  Sen. Inouye will lead the Transportation and Energy (TRE) committee.

“This lineup of committee leadership is a thoughtful and effective placement of our Senators,” said Senate President Kouchi. “With these new configured committees, we believe we are able to better address the important issues that face our State.”

The following list shows the new committees and their assigned Chairpersons:

COMMERCE, CONSUMER PROTECTION, AND HEALTH (CPH)

•  Chair: Sen. Rosalyn Baker
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Michelle Kidani

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY (EET)

•  Chair: Sen. Glenn Wakai
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Sam Slom

EDUCATION (EDU)

•  Chair: Sen. Michelle Kidani
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Breene Harimoto

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS (GVO)

•  Chair: Sen. Donna Mercado Kim
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Les Ihara, Jr.

HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS (HWN)

•  Chair: Sen. Maile S.L. Shimabukuro
•  Vice Chair: Sen. J. Kalani English

HUMAN SERVICES (HMS)

•  Chair: Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Gil Riviere

HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE ARTS (HEA)

•  Chair: Sen. Brian Taniguchi
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Gilbert Kahele

HOUSING (HOU)

•  Chair: Sen. Breene Harimoto
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Brickwood Galuteria

JUDICIARY AND LABOR (JDL)

•  Chair: Sen. Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Maile S.L. Shimabukuro

PUBLIC SAFETY, INTERGOVERNMENTAL, AND MILITARY AFFAIRS (PSM)

•  Chair: Sen. Clarence K. Nishihara
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Will Espero

TOURISM AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (TSI)

•  Chair: Sen. Gilbert Kahele
•  Vice Chair: Sen. J. Kalani English

TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY (TRE)

•  Chair: Sen. Lorraine R. Inouye
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Mike Gabbard

WATER, LAND, AND AGRICULTURE (WLA)

•  Chair: Sen. Mike Gabbard
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Clarence K. Nishihara

WAYS AND MEANS (WAM)

•  Chair: Sen. Jill N. Tokuda
•  Vice Chair: Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz