Big Island state senators among leadership, committee chairpersons for upcoming legislative session

Hawaiʻi Senate recently announced its new leadership and committee assignments ahead of the 33rd state legislative session, which opens Jan. 21.

Big Island state senators are among the leadership for the upcoming session as well as have several committee chairperson and vice chairperson posts.

Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi, who represents Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, said the body realigned chairpersons and committee assignments for the upcoming 2026 session because of the retirement of O‘ahu Sen. Henry Aquino.

“Additionally, with current and impending federal budgetary cuts to the Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i, the Senate has returned to combining the higher education and education committees to allow the Senate to address educational shortfalls across the educational spectrum, in the same manner that the Senate has done with its health and human services committees,” added Kouchi in a release about the assignments.

Leadership and committee assignments of the 15 standing committees are as follows.

Leadership

• President: Kouchi
• Vice President: Michelle Kidani
• Majority Leader: Dru Kanuha (Big Island)
• Majority Floor Leader: Glenn Wakai
• Majority Assistant Leader: Lynn DeCoite
• Majority Policy Leader: Les Ihara Jr.
• Majority Whip: Lorraine Inouye (Big Island)
• Assistant Majority Whip: Troy Hashimoto
• Assistant Majority Whip: Jarrett Keohokalole
• Assistant Majority Whip: Chris Lee
• Assistant Majority Whip: Herbert M. “Tim” Richards III (Big Island)
• Minority Leader: Brenton Awa
• Minority Floor Leader: Samantha DeCorte
• Assistant Minority Floor Leader: Kurt Fevella

Committee Assignments

Agriculture and Environment

• Mike Gabbard (Chairperson)
• Richards (Vice Chairperson)
• DeCoite
• Karl Rhoads
• Awa

Commerce and Consumer Protection

• Keohokalole (Chairperson)
• Carol Fukunaga (Vice Chairperson)
• Rachele Lamosao
• Angus McKelvey
• Awa

Economic Development and Tourism

• DeCoite (Chairperson)
• Wakai (Vice Chairperson)
• Fukunaga
• Donna Mercado Kim
• Fevella

Education

• Kim (Chairperson)
• Kidani (Vice Chairperson)
• Fukunaga
• Hashimoto
• DeCorte

Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs

• Wakai (Chairperson)
• Stanley Chang (Vice Chairperson)
• DeCoite
• Richards
• Fevella

Government Operations

• McKelvey (Chairperson)
• Gabbard (Vice Chairperson)
• Hashimoto
• Sharon Moriwaki
• Awa

Hawaiian Affairs

• Richards (Chairperson)
• Lamosao (Vice Chairperson)
• Ihara Jr.
• Keohokalole
• DeCorte

Health and Human Services

• Joy San Buenaventura (Chairperson) (Big Island)
• Keohokalole (Vice Chairperson)
• Kanuha
• Lamosao
• Fevella

Housing

• Chang (Chairperson)
• Hashimoto (Vice Chairperson)
• Brandon Elefante
• Rhoads
• Fevella

Judiciary

• Rhoads (Chairperson)
• Gabbard (Vice Chairperson)
• Chang
• San Buenaventura
• Awa

Labor and Technology

• Elefante (Chairperson)
• Lamosao (Vice Chairperson)
• Ihara Jr.
• Moriwaki
• Fevella

Public Safety and Military Affairs

• Fukunaga (Chairperson)
• Lee (Vice Chairperson)
• Hashimoto
• Inouye
• DeCorte

Transportation

• Inouye (Chairperson)
• Elefante (Vice Chairperson)
• Kanuha
• Lee
• DeCorte

Water, Land, Culture and the Arts

• Lee (Chairperson)
• Inouye (Vice Chairperson)
• Chang
• McKelvey
• DeCorte

Ways and Means

• Dela Cruz (Chairperson)
• Moriwaki (Vice Chairperson)
• DeCoite
• Elefante
• Hashimoto
• Inouye
• Kanuha
• Kidani
• Kim
• Lee
• Richards
• Wakai
• Fevella